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Williams ready to emerge from the shadows
Published: Monday | November 16, 2009
Audley Boyd, Assistant Editor - Sports
Reggae Boyz defender Dicoy Williams. - file
BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa:
His eyes appeared from underneath the blanket that had covered his upper body for a large proportion of the 15-hour transatlantic travel from Atlanta to Johannesburg.
As if searching
to identify a particular target, Dicoy Williams takes a quick glance around the section of the plane where he is sitting, taking careful note of each person within range.
There is nothing strange about the recently drafted Reggae Boyz's reaction. His teammates, and he, have come to rely heavily on that instinct.
"He's a good, young up-and-coming player. He reads the game very well, he's very strong and gets in his tackles," observed Theodore Whitmore, the team's head coach. "We just want him to focus and keep his head because we see him as one for the future.
"It's not all the young players who keep their focus," pointed out Whitmore, a former Reggae Boyz captain and midfield maestro. "As soon as some get called for the national team, their focus changes."
At 6' 2'' and armed with a quick mind and feet, 23-year-old Williams is eagerly looking to let his particular set of skills come to the fore and enhance his claims.
The opportunity
Tomorrow, there will be a chance for Williams when the Jamaicans tackle Bafana Bafana at the Free State Stadium (Vodacom Park) at 8:30 p.m. (1:30 p.m. Jamaica time).
With other central defenders in the squad - Shavar Thomas, Adrian Reid and Jermaine Taylor - Williams faces much competition for a spot in the starting team. That, however, has not dampened his ambitions.
"For this particular match, I'm looking forward to start," he said. "I started in the past two games and in those matches we had a clean sheet, no goals were scored.
"When I step on to the field, my aim is to help my team get a clean sheet," he adds. "Then I know that the job is done as a defender."
In the two games, Jamaica drew goalless with Ecuador on Williams' debut in New Jersey, then beat St Kitts/Nevis 1-0 in the Eastern Caribbean.
Despite that, the Harbour View defender knows there are no guarantees. He travelled with Jamaica's team for their 2-2 draw in Washington, DC, yet did not play. More recently, he was preparing for the Gold Cup but was left out of the final squad. However, he remains enthused.
"Everyone wanted to make the Gold Cup squad. That was my aim, to help bring back the country's image. But I know that some day coming, I'll be first choice in the national team. As a young person, I know there's always going to be a lot of opportunities."
Grateful
He credits much of his self-belief to the man who coached him in his juvenile stages at Santos Football Club.
"Coach Carlton Dennis is someone who has always made me feel like I have a chance in football, from I was playing at Under-11, Under-16 and the U20 level. So I've developed my confidence from then knowing that."
There are role models on the field, too, who have aided that cause, such as his favourite local and international players, former national centre-half Clifton Waugh, and England centre-half and captain John Terry, respectively.
"As a youth watching the Premier League, he (Waugh) was one of my favourite defenders and knowing that I got a chance to play with him ... he gives me a lot of confidence in training and boosts me to be a better player day in, day out."
Regarding Terry, another no-nonsense player, Williams said: "When he's playing, you can see that he's playing with a lot of heart. He has a lot of qualities that I admire."
His choices are not surprising: Williams plays with as much dedication in his weekly contests in the Premier League where he rates Devon Hodges as the most difficult player to mark.
"He has great control of the ball. He is a very hard person to win the ball from because he has good close, skills," Williams said of the Rivoli striker who leads the league in scoring. "He's one of the best forwards in the country."
Like football, on a national scale, music holds much interest and Williams was not afraid to weigh in on one of the huge debates raging islandwide: Gully vs Gaza.
"The people around the two artistes are making it bad for the artistes because instead of listening to the music, they are portraying violence among the camps," he reasoned.
"The two artistes need to come together and let the people know that it's a lyrical thing, because if an artiste from Gaza or Gully gets hurt, it will reflect badly on them."
Actually, another of his passions revolves around music and he spends some of his time off the field "running jokes with my friends on the corner," he admits.
"Sometimes I like to go to parties and have fun, I like to watch my friends dance and build new songs and hold a vibe on the corner. The Ravers Clavers Crew - Ding Dong, Overmars, Chicken and Bear and the rest of the crew," he added.
Williams says, friends apart, he has a natural habit of getting along with people, especially in team situations.
"As a player, I'm a people person, I don't segregate myself. I like to be around my friends and talk about football, or anything else."
Besides his advance into the national senior team now, among the former Excelsior Primary student's proudest moments is his role in helping non-traditional Mona High to their only Walker Cup KO semi-final appearance in 2004-05.
From there, he joined the junior ranks at Arnett Gardens Football Club, playing on the Under-21 team before promotion to the Premier League outfit.
No regular play
"It was a very nice two seasons at Arnett but I felt I needed to move on to enhance myself. I wasn't playing regularly in the senior team after a while," he admitted of the plight that led to his move out east.
He followed a somewhat similar path at Harbour View when he became a member of the winning JFF Under-21 team, before graduating to the senior team where he has maintained a huge presence in a starting role.
He credits his association with Brazilian coach Waldemar de Oliveira as a key factor in his development.
"He taught me a lot about football - the systems, how to operate on the field, to know your role and the systems that you're playing on the field," Williams remarked.
Further, he notes the huge strides made last year and says he needs to raise his standard.
It is an observation made by fellow club and national teammate, Lovel Palmer, who says the boundaries are limitless for Williams.
"He's a very good player, technically sound and reads the game very well," Palmer offered. "But he's just a bit lazy in terms of his attitude.
"A lot of times, Richard Edwards I tell him that he doesn't know his ability. He has qualities that a lot of other defenders internationally don't have. He's composed, he reads the game well, and passes the ball well, and he also has age on his side."
It is friends like these Williams attests to holding dearly, the ones who are not afraid to say unfavourable things that will inspire change to the right path.
This trek to South Africa is yet another step as he emerges from the shadows. And with the confidence to match, the tall defender could just be sizing up the situation for another timely challenge that could enhance his claims for a regular place in the Jamaica team.
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/glean...s/sports6.html
Published: Monday | November 16, 2009
Audley Boyd, Assistant Editor - Sports
Reggae Boyz defender Dicoy Williams. - file
BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa:
His eyes appeared from underneath the blanket that had covered his upper body for a large proportion of the 15-hour transatlantic travel from Atlanta to Johannesburg.
As if searching
to identify a particular target, Dicoy Williams takes a quick glance around the section of the plane where he is sitting, taking careful note of each person within range.
There is nothing strange about the recently drafted Reggae Boyz's reaction. His teammates, and he, have come to rely heavily on that instinct.
"He's a good, young up-and-coming player. He reads the game very well, he's very strong and gets in his tackles," observed Theodore Whitmore, the team's head coach. "We just want him to focus and keep his head because we see him as one for the future.
"It's not all the young players who keep their focus," pointed out Whitmore, a former Reggae Boyz captain and midfield maestro. "As soon as some get called for the national team, their focus changes."
At 6' 2'' and armed with a quick mind and feet, 23-year-old Williams is eagerly looking to let his particular set of skills come to the fore and enhance his claims.
The opportunity
Tomorrow, there will be a chance for Williams when the Jamaicans tackle Bafana Bafana at the Free State Stadium (Vodacom Park) at 8:30 p.m. (1:30 p.m. Jamaica time).
With other central defenders in the squad - Shavar Thomas, Adrian Reid and Jermaine Taylor - Williams faces much competition for a spot in the starting team. That, however, has not dampened his ambitions.
"For this particular match, I'm looking forward to start," he said. "I started in the past two games and in those matches we had a clean sheet, no goals were scored.
"When I step on to the field, my aim is to help my team get a clean sheet," he adds. "Then I know that the job is done as a defender."
In the two games, Jamaica drew goalless with Ecuador on Williams' debut in New Jersey, then beat St Kitts/Nevis 1-0 in the Eastern Caribbean.
Despite that, the Harbour View defender knows there are no guarantees. He travelled with Jamaica's team for their 2-2 draw in Washington, DC, yet did not play. More recently, he was preparing for the Gold Cup but was left out of the final squad. However, he remains enthused.
"Everyone wanted to make the Gold Cup squad. That was my aim, to help bring back the country's image. But I know that some day coming, I'll be first choice in the national team. As a young person, I know there's always going to be a lot of opportunities."
Grateful
He credits much of his self-belief to the man who coached him in his juvenile stages at Santos Football Club.
"Coach Carlton Dennis is someone who has always made me feel like I have a chance in football, from I was playing at Under-11, Under-16 and the U20 level. So I've developed my confidence from then knowing that."
There are role models on the field, too, who have aided that cause, such as his favourite local and international players, former national centre-half Clifton Waugh, and England centre-half and captain John Terry, respectively.
"As a youth watching the Premier League, he (Waugh) was one of my favourite defenders and knowing that I got a chance to play with him ... he gives me a lot of confidence in training and boosts me to be a better player day in, day out."
Regarding Terry, another no-nonsense player, Williams said: "When he's playing, you can see that he's playing with a lot of heart. He has a lot of qualities that I admire."
His choices are not surprising: Williams plays with as much dedication in his weekly contests in the Premier League where he rates Devon Hodges as the most difficult player to mark.
"He has great control of the ball. He is a very hard person to win the ball from because he has good close, skills," Williams said of the Rivoli striker who leads the league in scoring. "He's one of the best forwards in the country."
Like football, on a national scale, music holds much interest and Williams was not afraid to weigh in on one of the huge debates raging islandwide: Gully vs Gaza.
"The people around the two artistes are making it bad for the artistes because instead of listening to the music, they are portraying violence among the camps," he reasoned.
"The two artistes need to come together and let the people know that it's a lyrical thing, because if an artiste from Gaza or Gully gets hurt, it will reflect badly on them."
Actually, another of his passions revolves around music and he spends some of his time off the field "running jokes with my friends on the corner," he admits.
"Sometimes I like to go to parties and have fun, I like to watch my friends dance and build new songs and hold a vibe on the corner. The Ravers Clavers Crew - Ding Dong, Overmars, Chicken and Bear and the rest of the crew," he added.
Williams says, friends apart, he has a natural habit of getting along with people, especially in team situations.
"As a player, I'm a people person, I don't segregate myself. I like to be around my friends and talk about football, or anything else."
Besides his advance into the national senior team now, among the former Excelsior Primary student's proudest moments is his role in helping non-traditional Mona High to their only Walker Cup KO semi-final appearance in 2004-05.
From there, he joined the junior ranks at Arnett Gardens Football Club, playing on the Under-21 team before promotion to the Premier League outfit.
No regular play
"It was a very nice two seasons at Arnett but I felt I needed to move on to enhance myself. I wasn't playing regularly in the senior team after a while," he admitted of the plight that led to his move out east.
He followed a somewhat similar path at Harbour View when he became a member of the winning JFF Under-21 team, before graduating to the senior team where he has maintained a huge presence in a starting role.
He credits his association with Brazilian coach Waldemar de Oliveira as a key factor in his development.
"He taught me a lot about football - the systems, how to operate on the field, to know your role and the systems that you're playing on the field," Williams remarked.
Further, he notes the huge strides made last year and says he needs to raise his standard.
It is an observation made by fellow club and national teammate, Lovel Palmer, who says the boundaries are limitless for Williams.
"He's a very good player, technically sound and reads the game very well," Palmer offered. "But he's just a bit lazy in terms of his attitude.
"A lot of times, Richard Edwards I tell him that he doesn't know his ability. He has qualities that a lot of other defenders internationally don't have. He's composed, he reads the game well, and passes the ball well, and he also has age on his side."
It is friends like these Williams attests to holding dearly, the ones who are not afraid to say unfavourable things that will inspire change to the right path.
This trek to South Africa is yet another step as he emerges from the shadows. And with the confidence to match, the tall defender could just be sizing up the situation for another timely challenge that could enhance his claims for a regular place in the Jamaica team.
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/glean...s/sports6.html
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