No need to panic – Whitmore

Drawing from his own experience when he helped Jamaica qualify for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, national senior men's head coach Theodore Whitmore says that it is still too early to press the panic button on the Reggae Boyz's qualification chances, despite their less-than-convincing start to the campaign.

The team arrived at the Norman Manley International Airport yesterday morning after their 1-1 draw with Costa Rica on Wednesday at the Estado Nacional de Costa Rica in San Jose. Shamar Nicholson scored his second goal in three games in the 47th minute after Costa Rica took the lead through Jimmy Marin, with barely three minutes on the clock. The point is Jamaica's first in Costa Rica in eight tries and sees them finally off the mark in the competition.

Back-to-back defeats against Mexico (2-1) and at home to Panama (3-0) placed pressure on Whitmore over his job security.

However, he was quick to point out that their historic World Cup campaign did not start particularly well either, and underlined that he is not deterred by the setbacks in their opening games.

"There is nothing to feel pressure about, there is nothing to feel panicked about. If you can recall, back in 1998 our first three games were a disaster," Whitmore said. "We still went and qualified for the World Cup. If you look at the group, now it's only Mexico alone that has seven points (and leading). So there is nothing to panic about."

During that 1998 campaign, the Reggae Boyz accumulated only two points from their first four games, courtesy of draws with the United States and Canada, while suffering defeats away to Mexico (6-0) and Costa Rica (3-1). Jamaica would accumulate 12 points from their final six games to earn qualification.

It is that same 1998 spirit that the coaching staff is hoping to impart on the players, particularly assistant coach Paul Hall, who joined the team on the final stretch of that campaign. Knowing as well the difficulties and position Jamaica were in when he arrived, he says that knowledge from himself, goalkeeping coach Warren Barrett and Whitmore, members from that era, will help to replicate what they accomplished two decades ago.

"It's still very early days. I can remember coming into the camp, playing in 1998, with five games left in qualifying. They have got the potential to achieve what we achieved, it's just harnessing that. It could be about myself, Warren and Theodore actually telling the stories of what 1998 was, and stories are powerful," Hall said.

"I don't know that there is anybody in this Concacaf region with three coaches that have been to the World Cup before as head coach and assistant coaches before. I don't think it's there, and it's very rare. It's important that they get that knowledge out of us and use it for the players," Hall said.

Both coaches felt that they did enough to earn the maximum three points against Costa Rica on Wednesday with a number of chances going Jamaica's way in the second half.

Meanwhile, national defender Damion Lowe did underscore the importance of the result as a base to build from going forward.

"It's been years since we got a point on the road against Costa Rica (in their stadium), so again, it's momentum to build on and something to be thankful for," Lowe said.

Jamaica's next match is against the United States on October 7 at the Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas.

daniel.wheeler@gleanerjm.com

MP W D L GF GA P

Mexico 3 2 1 0 4 2 7

Canada 3 1 2 0 5 2 5

USA 3 1 2 0 5 2 5

Panama 3 1 2 0 4 1 5

Costa Rica 3 0 2 1 1 2 2

Honduras ' 3 0 2 1 2 5 2

El Salvador 3 0 2 1 0 3 2

Jamaica 3 0 1 2 2 6 1