Hot Russell leads Arnett to easy win
Lennox Russell (right) scores Arnett Gardens’ opening goal during the Red Stripe Premier League football match against Jamalco at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex yesterday. Arnett Gardens won 3-0. ARNETT GARDENS FC continued their impressive home record with a 3-0 win against newcomers Jamalco FC in the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL), at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex yesterday.
Lennox Russell opened the scoring for the home team in the 15th minute, while Fabian Reid (30th) and substitute Marvin Morgan Jr (89th) netted the other goals.
It was a fourth home win for Arnett, three of which have come in the Jungle, as the venue was banned for the first two home games of the season. Hence, Arnett played those games at Barbican.
Arnett pushed to 13 points, while Jamalco remained on 10 points in the 12-team league.
Russell, who was scoring his third goal in three consecutive games, says hard work is paying dividends.
“It is just non-stop hard work that I have been putting in during training that is now paying off,” Russell, who was replaced in the closing moments of the game, told The Gleaner.
“I am looking to score about 15 or more goals for the season. Some senior players are not yet back with the team, so I have to continue working to remain in the starting team,” the 22-yearold former Charlie Smith High Manning Cup star reasoned.
“I know that Arnett have a lot of talent in the squad, so I have grabbed my chance with both hands. The aim is to be more clinical in front of goal as I have missed a lot of chances,” said Russell, who is Arnett’s leading marksman this season
GOOD PLAY
“We are playing good, especially at home. We lost two games on the road that we could have won, but for lack of finishing.
“The team did great today in scoring three goals without giving up any goal. We just have to continue working match by match in order to win the title again,” Russell pointed out.
Arnett’s veteran coach Jerome ‘Jerry’ Waite described Russell as a good talent.
“Russell has scored in three consecutive games. He is pretty much talented, but needs to improve in some areas of his play,” Waite said about the player he also coached at Charlie Smith.
With regards to the game, Waite was satisfied with the result.
“We played in spurts, but it Johnson said his team needs to start strong.
“In the last three games, we started flat, so we need more intensity. We had hoped to give Arnett a better fight, but it did not happen. We got chances, but failed to capitalise,” Johnson said.
Meanwhile, the Boys’ Town vs Tivoli Gardens game was not played because of a waterlogged surface at the Barbican Complex.
PRESIDENT OF the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) Captain Horace Burrell is not having an easy time at the moment as opposition to his presidency has come from within his own ranks.
The latest to open fire at the former army man is one of his lieutenants who has broken ranks and made it clear that he will no longer be marching to the tune of the captain.
This rebellious soldier, Danny Beckford, the long-time president of the St Ann Football Association, stated his position to Captain Burrell in a language more akin to the former army man, who has been known to give ultimatums.
“Good day to you,” the letter, titled ‘Red: JFF Matters’, started. “Having been asked what is the opinion on the way forward for our football, the first move is for you as the president and your general secretary to leave the football administration ASAP so that the proper way for administering our football can now properly move apace.”
The letter was addressed to Captain Burrell and copied the entire JFF board of directors (BOD).
It continued: “No longer must we sit and follow your sense of administering our football as this has led us to have regressed nearly twenty years as your vision has wasted so much of Danny Beckford, St Ann Football Association president.
our resources in the futile effort to buy our way to World Cup Russia 2018.
TOO MUCH DISRESPECT
“The level of disrespect to Jamaica’s football in all sectors, our local players, our parish associations, our footballing public, our sponsors, our football administrators, has never been more acute, what will (with) our lack of resources to fund our local programs and leagues, while giving your stated ‘messiah’ Schäefer (Winfried) so much of our resources for practically doing nothing.”
The letter continued: “And having our administrative arm, the BOD, relegated to rubber Captain Horace Burrell, JFF president.
stamping your flawed vision of the nation’s football programme, while instituting the divide-and-rule strategy by outlawing persons that dare to question your individual decisions. There is so much that has gone wrong with our football, the end results are testimony to that, and the issue of you continuing as if Jack Warner or Jeffrey Webb still having influence in football is showing your almost total disconnect from today’s reality that is football in our nation.”
Beckford broke ranks in December by supporting Orville Powell, who had moved
to challenge Burrell for the leadership of the JFF.
The final paragraph suggests that Beckford is not the only disgruntled soldier as he used the phrase “... now prompted OUR call for you stepping away from OUR programme”.
It read: “We have never had it so good and be in a worst situation, and the influx of English players and Schäefer and your almost insane vision of our football programme has now prompted our call for your stepping away from OUR programme. And there will be efforts to remove you if not voluntarily walking away. It is imperative to save our football from you and your aforementioned flawed vision of our sport. The ball is in your half.”
When contacted for a response, Burrell said it is not the first time that Beckford has behaved in this manner and he will be dealt with by the JFF’s executive body.
“This is the second time this man has done that in weeks and almost all the existing (JFF) members have written in and have disassociated themselves,” said Burrell.
“My official response is that Mr Beckford will be dealt with by the executive committee, as more than 90 per cent (of executives) have expressed their displeasure in the letter and they will deal with him at the next meeting,” the JFF president continued.
When asked about the timing of that deliberation, Burrell informed that “I don’t have the date for that meeting right now”.