Paul A. Reid, Staff Reporter
WESTERN BUREAU:
FORMER CHAMPIONS Reno FC will be seeking their first win of the Wray And Nephew National Premier League (NPL) this afternoon when they host Village United in a western derby, set to start at 3:30.
Both teams have gotten off to a less than bright start, sharing just one win between them from six outings and are languishing below the mid way mark in the tables.
This will not deter either team however as it is still early going in the season and a lot of football left to be played.
Reno's coach Geoffrey Maxwell does not appear perturbed by the fact that his team has drawn all three games played so far, saying they were still two or three games from where he would start expecting them to play at their optimum level.
The teams had differing fortunes last season, Village going on to achieve their best showing with a third place finish, while Reno just managed to avoid relegation.
Of the two games they played last season, Village won their first at home while Reno managed a well deserved 0-0 draw in the return game at Frome.
Village will be seeking to maintain their dominance of the former king pins but will come up against an improving Reno team that should have beaten defending champions Portmore United on Wednesday but settled for a 0-0 draw at Ferdie Neita Park.
Maxwell who was in charge of Village for a period last season, is expecting a tough, physical game but thinks that if his team can put in the same effort that they did against Portmore on Wednesday, they can get all the points.
Maxwell told The Gleaner that he is expecting a much different style of play from what he saw on Wednesday.
"Village are known to play a hard-running game which I am very familiar with" and added that he might be making some tactical as well as personnel changes to counter this.
NEW PLAYERS
He said that Village should be a much stronger team than the one that was third last year with the addition of new players but hopes his team will get up to the task.
Like Reno, Village are also coming off a 0-0 draw on Wednesday but will be without wing defender Gregory Simpson who was sent off against Seba United.
Both teams were forced to substitute their goalkeepers, both national teammates, Aaron Lawrence for Reno and Donovan Ricketts for Village but it is not certain if they will still be out come tomorrow.
On paper there is not much to choose between the two teams in the early goings with Village a point ahead of Reno.
It should be a good contest, however, with a number of outstanding players on both teams.
Man for man Village could be the stronger of the two teams, however, with the experience of Christopher Dawes, Kirk Hendricks and Mark Williams along with the talents of Fabian Dawkins and Teofore Bennett could give them the edge.
Reno has a number of very experienced players who could make a difference for them in Lawrence, Patrick Graham, Kendrie Quarrie and Kirk Wright.
