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It could be another long season for football fans
MONTEGO BAY, St James
Another football season starts this weekend and, for the next eight months or so, the sport will dominate the sporting headlines not just here in the west but islandwide as well.
The schoolboy season kicks off Saturday, a day before the Wray and Nephew National Premier League gets underway. As the cliché goes, the ball is round and each team will start at zero but will be in for a chance to be crowned champions at the end.
While the odds might be more than even that a western school could win the daCosta Cup or even the all-island Olivier Shield title, the odds of a western club taking the NPL is much longer. Matter of fact, should any of the four western clubs still be in within touching distance of the title come February-March next year, it would be a surprise.
On paper, Village United is the best of the four western clubs but they have a way to go before they can be termed contenders. Despite having a number of national players who also play international club football, the Trelawny outfit lacks a solid, dependable defensive unit and will start the season with one proven goalkeeper. Hopefully all the players who are overseas will return ready to play as they will hold the key for the team's success.
Seba United and Reno have brought in new coaches — the much travelled but proven Geoffrey Maxwell and the Peruvian Danilo Bariga respectively — and have overhauled the look of their teams. Whether this will be enough to make them contenders is left to be seen.
Reno’s blend is one of young, players that might be past their best and the team will struggle as they have been doing for the past three seasons.
Pre-season football is never a good gauge but the Westmoreland club managed just one goal in 270 minutes in the recent Western Super League series.
If Maxwell can build on Seba's form at the end of the last season, there is no reason they cannot stay in mid-tables and avoid the relegation pressures early.
Whether Maxwell will finish the season is another thing. The former national coach has not stayed with the same club an entire season in recent times and his tenure could have a say in how the club performs.
Wadadah is the surprise package and could either do well or struggle early. Coach Anthony 'Follies' Williams has a lot of new faces in his team, mostly refugees from Seba United. This can be a plus for him as they would not need a lot of time to gel into a unit.
Unless there is a remarkable turn around in fortunes of any one club, it will be another long season for western club football fans
MONTEGO BAY, St James
Another football season starts this weekend and, for the next eight months or so, the sport will dominate the sporting headlines not just here in the west but islandwide as well.
The schoolboy season kicks off Saturday, a day before the Wray and Nephew National Premier League gets underway. As the cliché goes, the ball is round and each team will start at zero but will be in for a chance to be crowned champions at the end.
While the odds might be more than even that a western school could win the daCosta Cup or even the all-island Olivier Shield title, the odds of a western club taking the NPL is much longer. Matter of fact, should any of the four western clubs still be in within touching distance of the title come February-March next year, it would be a surprise.
On paper, Village United is the best of the four western clubs but they have a way to go before they can be termed contenders. Despite having a number of national players who also play international club football, the Trelawny outfit lacks a solid, dependable defensive unit and will start the season with one proven goalkeeper. Hopefully all the players who are overseas will return ready to play as they will hold the key for the team's success.
Seba United and Reno have brought in new coaches — the much travelled but proven Geoffrey Maxwell and the Peruvian Danilo Bariga respectively — and have overhauled the look of their teams. Whether this will be enough to make them contenders is left to be seen.
Reno’s blend is one of young, players that might be past their best and the team will struggle as they have been doing for the past three seasons.
Pre-season football is never a good gauge but the Westmoreland club managed just one goal in 270 minutes in the recent Western Super League series.
If Maxwell can build on Seba's form at the end of the last season, there is no reason they cannot stay in mid-tables and avoid the relegation pressures early.
Whether Maxwell will finish the season is another thing. The former national coach has not stayed with the same club an entire season in recent times and his tenure could have a say in how the club performs.
Wadadah is the surprise package and could either do well or struggle early. Coach Anthony 'Follies' Williams has a lot of new faces in his team, mostly refugees from Seba United. This can be a plus for him as they would not need a lot of time to gel into a unit.
Unless there is a remarkable turn around in fortunes of any one club, it will be another long season for western club football fans