- FILE
WALTER BOYD...making his debut for Constant Spring today.
Nodley Wright, Freelance Writer
FOOTBALL FANS in the Corporate Area will be in for a treat this afternoon with the Kingston and St Andrew Football Association's (KSAFA) Western Union Jackie Bell l Knockout semi-final doubleheader at the National Stadium
In the opening game at 3:30 p.m. defending champions Tivoli Gardens will put their title on the line against the improving and strengthened Constant Spring while at 5:30 p.m. the former champions Arnett Gardens and Waterhouse will rumble.
Constant Spring's manager, Danny Lyn, has seen the frustration at the beginning of the football season due to his team's poor play vanish as it is now an exciting and successful bunch.
That has been a cause for optimism heading into today's game.
"My players are really focused right now and are putting in some good work. The performances too have been encouraging. In fact, there is a marked improvement over the start of the football season," Lyn said.
One of the main reasons for the turnaround in the squad's fortunes, he said, was an increased understanding "of what top-flight football is all about for this largely young team".
FLOW STRENGTHENED
The flow of the Spring has been strengthened with the addition of a number of seasoned campaigners such as much travelled defender Patrick Reid, Tafari O'Connor, Marlon Bennett - temporarily, forward Dino Williams and, of course, the crowd's darling, Walter Boyd, who will make his much anticipated debut today. All but Bennett are expected to be in action.
"Boyd has been training with us for the past three weeks and has blended well with the team. He is not 100 per cent yet; he is closer to 65 or 70 per cent but he has a lot of experience and I believe he is a quality acquisition to take us to the next level," Lyn said of the former national player he is expecting to figure prominently if they are to pull off a win today.
The last time Constant Spring won the Jackie Bell KO was 2000 and they beat none other than Tivoli Gardens. He knows though that the defending champions will not surrender their title without a fight. Tivoli Gardens' manager, Brian Rose, knows just what his team will be up against tomorrow.
"Since the beginning of the second round of the National Premier League season they have been playing really well and we have to condition our minds to play a full game of football," Rose said.
DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY
"They have obviously stepped up and are doing some things differently so for us to defend our title we have to perform," he said.
Rose's pronouncement is no understatement as Tivoli Gardens have not performed up to expectations - especially in the second round of the NPL. Last Sunday they surrendered their unbeaten record to Portmore United, going down 2-0. As far as Rose is concerned, it is too early to say whether or not the team will suffer a residual effect from that loss.
What he would say though was that "it was a very disappointing result for us as our unbeaten run came to an end. We had a serious meeting the Monday after regarding our performance and the truth is we were quite flat."
Following that meeting, the players have looked positive and he is hoping that that same feeling and drive will be evident today.
There is no reason why they should excel today as in their ranks are national representatives Fabian Davis, last season's best player, and forward Roland Dean who is not 100 per cent but could still be dangerous. There is also the gifted Christopher Nicholas, Lenworth Hyde Jnr, Christopher Jackson, Steve Green, Markino Gillings and Kasai Hinds to count on.
The 5:30 feature should be somewhat of a grudge match. In their first meeting of the season Waterhouse beat Arnett Gardens 1-0. In this the second part of the season, Arnett Gardens appear to be on a mission to right all wrongs having last week avenged and earlier loss to Harbour View.
Arnett Gardens' coach, Jerome Waite, admitted that payback was a part of the plan.
"Most definitely we aim to continue on the path which we have been on since the start of this round in the NPL. The team is at a turning point and we want that performance to continue," he said.
Based on the many times that they have met, Waite is aware of what Waterhouse have to offer.
"Waterhouse are a hard-running team which will shoot from all angles. The offense is their strong point so we know what to expect," said Waite who will be countering them with a "strong team".
"Our intention is to win. We have to win to advance so we cannot and will not aim for anything else. Both teams are very competitive," he added.
PLAYERS
He would not comment on the availability or unavailability of any players but the usual suspects, Kevin Wilson, Kwame Richardson, Patrick Graham, Jonathan Williams, Gerald Neil, Julian McLeish, Jermaine Benjamin and Everton Bunsie, should figure.
The ever calm Peter Cargill of Waterhouse said games between the two teams "have historically been tough".
"It will be a spectator's treat but our objective is to win and get into the final and win there too," he added in his business-like fashion.
