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Boyz tackle St Kitts in friendly
BY Howard Walker Observer staff reporter
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Frigate Bay, St Kitts - Jamaica's local-based footballers will today tackle St Kitts & Nevis in their friendly international at the Warner Park Football Stadium starting at 7:00 pm (6:00 pm Jamaican time).
The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has opted to expose the local-based Reggae Boyz for this encounter and only four starting players that played against Ecuador are in the squad and eight in all who participated in that game in New Jersey last Wednesday. Jamaican defender Dicoy Williams (left) in action against Ecuador in last week's friendly international match in New Jersey, USA. Williams will line up against St Kitts in today's friendly at Warner Park. (Photo: AP)
Goalkeeper Dwayne Miller, Dicoy Williams, Jermaine Taylor and Devon Hodges started against the South Americans, while Lovell Palmer, Richard Edwards and Keammar Daley came off the bench.
The rebuilding phase continues and JFF president Captain Horace Burrell said this game will be providing valuable experience for both countries.
"As a bigger boy I think we have a responsibility of interacting with our small brothers and lifting their standards. That is certainly one of our objectives and will continue to do this.
"If we don't give a hand to smaller countries in the region then their football won't develop as quickly as we would all like. We're looking forward to a very exciting game and I can tell you that our players are aware of the great talent pool that exists here (St Kitts)," noted Burrell.
St Kitts, with a population of approximately 32,000, is 69 square miles long and their footballers are known as the "Sugar Boys".
The Reggae Boyz arrived in St Kitts on Friday night and had their first training session yesterday morning. At press time they were scheduled to train again, starting at 6:30 pm.
Jamaica, with a FIFA world ranking of 69, have played St Kitts & Nevis, ranked 149th, seven times dating back to their first encounter in 1979 when current team manager Howard Bell was a player and in his prime.
Jamaica have never lost to the Sugar Boys, winning five and drawing twice. But of interest is that in the last two encounters, Jamaica have failed to beat St Kitts, playing to a 1-1 draw in 1997 and 0-0 tie in 2001. Jamaica's biggest wins over St Kitts are 4-1 twice and 3-0 twice.
Playing without their host of overseas-based players, Jamaica should nevertheless start favourites to secure another win over their Eastern Caribbean neighbours and anything less would be deemed a failure.
Head coach Theodore Whitmore is cognisant of that fact and expects the Boyz to rise to the occasion despite playing a team considered minnows.
Said Whitmore: "In the Caribbean any team Jamaica is up against is a tough game. These are the sort of games we have to look out for. This is what we're getting the team prepared for. these types of games.
"Playing against these teams we don't care what players we have; we must get a result and nothing but a win and not only a win, but a convincing display," Whitmore told the Sunday Observer.
There were some niggling minor injuries following the morning training which has the coach playing a wait and see before naming his starting team.
Sporting Central Academy's 22-year-old central defender Linval Lewis should make his debut alongside Williams - who made his debut on Wednesday - and stand-in skipper Jermaine Taylor at the heart of the defence in an attacking 3-4-3 formation.
Jamaica starting team will come from Goalkeepers: Dwayne Miller (Harbour View), Shawn Sawyers (Portmore United); Jermaine Taylor (St George's), Dicoy Williams (Harbour View), Linval Lewis (Sporting Central Academy), Oraine Simpson (Tivoli Gardens), Andre Campbell (Portmore), Lovell Palmer (Harbour View), Richard Edwards (Harbour View), Ricardo Cousins (Portmore United), JeVaughn Watson (Sporting Central Academy), Deshaun Woolery (Seba United), Bryan Bayliss (Portmore), Michael Campbell (Boys' Town), Peter Keyes (Boys' Town), Evan Taylor (Reno), Devon Hodges (Rivoli United) and Keammar Daley (Tivoli Gardens).
Basseterre, St Kitts - Jamaica turned in a below-par performance to defeat St Kitts & Nevis 1-0 in their international friendly at the Warner Park Stadium last night courtesy of a Devon Hodges strike in the 55th minute.
It was a contrasting display by the Reggae Boyz who turned in an encouraging performance against Ecuador on Wednesday. Jamaica, ranked 69 - some 80 positions above their Eastern Caribbean neighbours - never looked motivated and that's a problem coach Theodore Whitmore will have to address.
HODGES. hit the upright with a torrid grounder from just outside the area before missing an easier chance in the 27th minute Not even yesterday's outstanding performance of the world's fastest man, Usain Bolt, at the IAAF World Championships in Germany, could inspire the local-based Reggae Boyz, and although coming away with a victory, Jamaicans living in St Kitts left the stadium disappointed.
In front of approximately 5,000 spectators, it was the home team that created the first chance in the 11th minute when Keith Gumbs broke free. But quick thinking goalkeeper Shawn Sawyer left his line in a flash to nullify things.
It took Jamaica 17 minutes to get a shot on goal, courtesy of midfielder JeVaughn Watson, who whistled his 20-metre shot just wide. Two minutes later, Devon Hodges hit the upright with a torrid grounder from just outside the area before missing an easier chance in the 27th minute when, after collecting a Lovel Palmer cross, he turned 360 degrees but kicked just wide.
The Reggae Boyz began to dominate, and debutant Deshaun Woolery of Seba whistled a left-footer just wide after a good build-up. The half ended 0-0 with the home team struggling to keep pace with the Reggae Boyz rhythm and the interval couldn't have come at a better time. The Jamaicans had six shots on goal compared to one from the home team.
On the resumption, Harbour View's Palmer, with only the goalkeeper to beat from six metres, volleyed onto the crossbar in the 51st minute. Jamaica finally broke the deadlock four minutes later following a brilliant 10-pass move ending with Hodges slotting home from 10 metres. It was a deserved lead after dominating the Sugar Boys.
Coach Whitmore brought on goalkeeper Dwayne Miller for Sawyers in the 60th minute and the Harbour View shot-stopper's first touch created mayhem in the box after he failed to hold onto a corner. Moments later, Hodges failed to double the score, firing straight at the keeper from a counter-attack.
The Sugar Boys pressed hard for the equalising goal and came close on at least two occasions in the dying moments. It was an encouraging display by St Kitts in the second-half and they will leave a proud country after going down by only one goal.
nope but beating st. kitts by only one goal probably is just as bad to me as scoring only once in the gold cup... I meant maybe it would teach all the players a lesson, that every game is important and force them to make better passes, better first touch and play the game the way it is supposed to be played
it's like they're taking their call ups for granted
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Vegas will always be Vegas. That won’t change. Las Vegas will be the market of markets for MLS.
The truth is that JA has never been a goal scoring machine. We have always struggled with smaller Caribbean teams -- check the record. Indeed, the last time we played St. Kitts we drew 0-0 in 2001. We sometimes make the mistake of assuming that the boyz are world beaters who can walk over all but the elite of world football, but then we have games such as yesterday's and results such as some in the past Digicel Championship. Let's not even mention that we were eliminated from competing in the previous Gold Cup by...
it's like they're taking their call ups for granted
Having listened to the game I don't think thats really a fair statement. The Kittian commentators were full of compliments for the Jamaican players and said that they were completely dominating the game and would have been up 3 or 4 nil and the half if just for some better finishing.
same sad story, finishing, its time we develop some training camps for promising Jamaican forwards. There we can host ball control and striking clinics. I've yet to see anyone on our team caplable or striking the ball from distance since Onandi Lowe or Andy Williams.
and another thing we should start playing full field games and stop the small goal scrimmage , no wonder out players cannot strike the ball all that scrimmage game playing is the reason our ballers are alwasy looking to dribble the ball right into the goal .
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Me name MIDDLEAGEBALLA NOW, man dem nuh stop call man likkle youth pon di forum iyah.
it's like they're taking their call ups for granted
Having listened to the game I don't think thats really a fair statement. The Kittian commentators were full of compliments for the Jamaican players and said that they were completely dominating the game and would have been up 3 or 4 nil and the half if just for some better finishing.
amen 2 that we could have win the game by at least 5 or 6 goal 2 nil if we did now how 2 but the ball in the back of the net,because the boyz play dam good,tappa need 2 train the boyz how 2 but the ball in the back of the net
