Molynes hopeful after Christmas miracle
THE STORY of Icarus, who flew too close to the Sun before plummeting to Earth, comes to mind when you think about the topsy-turvy season Molynes United have been having in their maiden season of the Red Stripe Premier League.
The league debutants were riding high on confidence when they made their first few appearances in top-flight football as they won their first six matches with impressive victories over the likes of defending champions Portmore United, UWI FC, Arnett Gardens, and Mount Pleasant.
Fortunes quickly changed, however, for the league’s newcomers, who went on to endure a 12-game streak without a win and have fallen from their high perch of second in the league to just above the brink of relegation.
Down but not out, Molynes managed to salvage a little Christmas cheer after getting the better of league leaders Waterhouse 2-1 in dramatic fashion after a late penalty saw them taking all three points in their encounter on Monday. Goals from Sergino Frankson and Nicholas Nelson sealed the match for Molynes. Waterhouse’s consolation was through an own goal after a goalkeeping blunder by Leon Taylor.
Calvert Fitzgerald, the man given charge over the team after the departure of Lijyasu Simms, admits that while the club does have a number of players marked as possible transfer targets, the main focus right now is to motivate the current squad.
“The team started well, unbeaten in six games, so obviously [Lijyasu
Simms] was doing something well, so whatever went wrong, that will be what I’ll be trying to fix,” said Fitzgerald in a recent interview. “A few new players have shown interest, and we’re taking a look at them, but so far, we’ve not finalised any transfers.”
LACK OF FITNESS
Coming into the job, Fitzgerald acknowledged that it would not be an easy fix as the string of poor results had affected the players’ motivation heavily and hampered their play. He says that a major problem that he has identified so far is the lack of fitness.
“As you know, the Premier League is a very physical and hard-running league, so if you fall off the pace, you’re not going to be able to compete. It’s a long process to get fit, but it’s easy to lose that fitness, and I think that’s what happened,” Fitzgerald said.
Molynes will look to end the year on a high when they face Dunbeholden at the Constant Spring Field on Sunday at 3 p.m.