Harbour View still dreaming of playoff spot
CLYDE JUREIDINI, general manager of Harbour View FC, said that despite their poor run of form in the league, the club is still aiming to earn a playoff spot come the end of the regular season.
Harbour View sit 11th in the Wray & Nephew-sponsored Jamaica Premier League on 16 points, and despite recording only three wins in the season so far, they are seven points off a playoff spot with 10 games left to play. A seven-point gap, according to Jureidini, that his team is capable of overcoming.
“The ambition is still there. We’re still aiming for that top six spot as a target for the end of round two. We’re still looking to be in that top six. We’re not used to being in this position in the league but there is only one thing to do, improve our performances.
“We need to move up the table by getting the victories and accumulating points. That’s the aim, that’s the focus and the determination of the team and the goal for the remainder of the second round,” Jureidini said.
It has been a steep decline in form for the Stars of the East who would have entered the competition high on confidence.
Harbour View would have had lofty expectations after qualifying for the JPL playoffs for the last three seasons in a row, with them also winning the title back in 2021.
Combined with their deep run in the first edition of the Concacaf Caribbean Cup where the team finished fourth overall, Jureidini had anticipated a competitive season from his players, especially the ones who had been present during their title win two seasons ago.
Yet when asked, Jureidini described the current mood around the squad as disappointing.
“The mood is as coach Ludlow Bernard has outlined, disappointing,” he said. “What has happened with our unit this season is that we had 80 per cent of our existing defensive unit unfortunately having a bad performance record. This is the unit that won the title two season ago; strong, reputable, reliable, mature and experienced defenders. Unfortunately, they haven’t performed so this season.”
To add to problems, Harbour View also lost their main threat up front, with loanee Shaquille Bradford being transferred to Mount Pleasant in a deal done by his parent club Waterhouse.
Bradford was a shining light in the club’s season, having scored eight goals for the Stars of the East. Harbour View had hoped to keep Bradford for the rest of the season, but now have to find a way to replace his attacking threat if they are to begin their climb up the table.
“Bradford, who came in from Waterhouse, had been performing at a higher than normal production rate. He got his first national selection as a result of it,” Jureidini said. “The club who loaned us him, Waterhouse, pulled the rug from under us. They demanded back the player and then sold him to Mount Pleasant, but that has nothing to do with us, so now we have to be shifting gears for the second round.”
Harbour View will face Humble Lion on Monday in their next match, and will be looking to leave the Stadium East field with all three points.