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Karl
Senior Member
USA
914 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 02 2005 : 11:06:33 AM
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FOOTBALL - Gold Cup warm-up
SEAN A WILLIAMS, Observer staff reporter
Saturday, July 02, 2005
Reggae Boy Roland Dean (foreground) staves off a spirited challenge from Shannon Goulbourne of the NPL All-Stars in their match at the National Stadium on Thursday. The Boyz won 2-0. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)
Controversial football coach Geoffrey Maxwell believes that the defensive unit of the senior Reggae Boyz is too easily breached and suggests that this could be exposed when the team competes in the CONCACAF Gold Cup starting next Friday.
Maxwell, who was in charge of a Wray & Nephew National Premier League (NPL) All-Stars team against the Reggae Boyz at the National Stadium on Thursday, made the comments in a post-match interview.
"It's a warning signal, and although they were missing a few players out there, I find that the back of the team is still being beaten too easy, leaving the goalkeeper a little bit unprotected," said the former Jamaica coach.
Maxwell, the full-time coach at NPL campaigner Waterhouse, warned that the competition at the July 6-24 Gold Cup in the USA will be "tougher" and efforts must be made to strengthen the back.
"The competition that they will be going into, it's not like what they just had, it will be tougher... and although I think they can do well, I am concerned that the back is too loose... yes, I believe that they did not push themselves in this match, but what we saw could be a warning signal," he said after the Boyz comfortably defeated his side 2-0 from a wonderful brace (34th and 56th minutes) from Harbour View's midfield maestro Jermaine Hue.
Maxwell's comments were obviously inspired by the fact the All-Stars were successful in getting into a number of good goal-scoring positions against the Boyz, who were using the game as a final warm-up exercise before departing to the Gold Cup on Wednesday. Starting the game for Jamaica in defence were Preston North End's toughman Claude Davis, Harbour View's Bradford City bound Damion Stewart, Harbour View's Jermaine Taylor and Robert Scarlett and Portmore's Tyrone Sawyers.
"Had we scored one of the two simple chances that we got, the game could have been different... but the key factor is that we trained for only an hour before this match, yet I don't think we did badly...," Maxwell said.
In one of the All-Stars glorious scoring opportunities, it was Portmore United's Wolry Wolfe who was deemed the culprit. In the 48th minute, the midfielder could have equalised, but his torrid shot from a mere six yards unbelievably struck the underside of the crossbar and back into play.
Meanwhile, national coach Wendell Downswell said the objective of getting worthwhile competition for the team before it departs was achieved.
"I think the competition was good overall and it helped us in our preparation, as we used it as a form of training session to look at a number of players from a tactical and technical standpoint...," he said.
But he said that the team needs to work more on its transitional play which will be vital when the team comes up against more formidable opponents.
"Despite the fact that we scored two goals, we still need to work on our transition from defence into attack as the pace at the international level is far more furious... but I think the possession was good today (Thursday), but we needed to be more decisive in the attacking third," noted Downswell, a former Jamaica winger and the man who succeeded Carl Brown at the helm of the national programme.
"All in all, I am very satisfied with what happened here and it was a good exercise for us, as the cancellation of the Unity Cup severely affected our plans because we were really looking forward to playing against a quality opposition before going to the Gold Cup," he ended.
In Thursday's match which came up short on overall quality, the Boyz got their first real goal-scoring opportunity when Harbour View's striker Luton Shelton hustled his way behind the All-Star defence, but failed to beat Richard McCallum, who selflessly flung his frame in the way to block the shot.
Before he actually converted one his tantalising freekicks, Hue had sounded his warning at the 15th minute, when his dangerous-looking freekick from 22 yards had goalie McCallum beaten, but the ball kept its curve and went behind.
The All-Stars team did show some interprise in the 20th minute when Wolry Wolfe and Shawn Coleman combined to dissect the Jamaica defence, but the latter's final shot crawled along the ground and wide of the target.
A minute later and growing in confidence and industry, the All-Star selection threatened yet again, but Jermaine Anderson's snap shot, which looked dangerous when the ball left the boot, went only inches from the upright, as Donovan Ricketts scrambled across to make sure the danger was passing.
And following a period of dull football, a bright spark emerged for the Boyz in the 34th minute. The crafty Hue, given the task to take a 25-yard freekick, willed the ball beyond the desperately outstretched arms of McCallum in the frame for a 1-0 lead.
The Boyz came close to making it 2-0 in the 45th minute, but McCallum rose majestically to tip Shelton's point-blank header over the horizontal.
But following a polished spell of dominance, the Boyz extended their lead through the outstanding Hue in the 56th minute with a powerful left-footed shot from 16 yards that gave substitute goalkeeper Julian McLeish no chance.
Kevin Lamey, one of a multitude of subs, had his chance to put his name on the scoresheet in 73rd minute, but failed to slip the ball by an alert Shawn Sawyers, who had replaced Ricketts in the Jamaican goal.
At the Gold Cup, Jamaica will contest Group C with Guatemala, South Africa and CONCACAF giant Mexico in California and Texas.
Jamaica's starting 11- Donovan Ricketts, Damion Stewart, Tyrone Sawyers, Jermaine Taylor, Claude Davis, Robert Scarlett, Jermaine Hue, Omar Daley, Jermaine Johnson, Luton Shelton and Roland Dean.
Booked: Scarlett (35th)
All-Stars - Richard McCallum, Kasai Hinds, Wolry Wolfe, Christopher Jackson, Jason Morrison, Shannon Gouldbourne, Orane Simpson, Anthony Modeste, Victor Thompson, Shawn Coleman, Jermaine Anderson.
Booked: None
Referee: Raymond Pine
Assistants: Dave Meikle and Rinaldo Francis
Fourth Official: Courtney Campbell
Match Commissary: Raymond Grant
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Karl |
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Maxwell warns of porous Jamaican defence
