Treasure Beach teetering on the edge
TREASURE BEACH FC chairman Jason Henzell said the team is in a “very precarious position” as they sit just the wrong side of the relegation zone with only eight matches left in the Wray & Nephewsponsored Jamaica Premier League (JPL).
“The writing is on the wall,” he said. “We’re not going to give up. We know that we’re in a very tight spot with only eight games left. That’s not lost on us as a club. We want to finish strong, and we want to get as many wins or draws as we can. We’re hoping to stay up but we’re in a very precarious position right now.”
Treasure Beach will face off against Molynes United today in the JPL at St Elizabeth Technical High School.
In their first meeting earlier this season, Treasure Beach got the better of Molynes United in an inspired 2-1 comeback victory. Henzell is hoping they can pull off the double over the Kingston-based team but admits it will not be easy.
Treasure Beach will be without head coach Omar ‘Rambo’ Wedderburn, who had announced his resignation in a post-match interview following their defeat to Lime Hall Academy.
With Wedderburn’s departure, assistant coach Fitzroy Ambursley will step into the head coach vacancy for the rest of the season.
“Prior to ‘Rambo’, we had an assistant coach ‘Amby’ in combination with fitness coach Victor Ebanks, who are now coaching the team. This is more than likely for the rest of the season.
“[Molynes United] are the perfect opponents for us to defeat. We understand the importance of winning this match. The players and the coaches are prepared and it’s going to be on our home ground, so we have a few advantages working for us.”
Treasure Beach made history when they gained promotion to the JPL this season, being the first team from St Elizabeth to do so in over 40 years. Henzell said with this achievement, the team had drawn large crowds to their home games.
However, following their poor run of form which saw them suffer a 12-game losing streak, they have been struggling for fans’ support.
“The honeymoon is over,” he said.
“It is important to have home advantage but the cold, hard truth is that we haven’t gotten the crowds that we were hoping for. At the start of the season, we were getting quite large crowds and we were number eight on the table.
“But the truth is, when we had that losing streak, the crowd has decreased. Jamaicans like to support winners and we Jamaicans tend to be a tough crowd. But we have some loyal supporters who have stuck with us.”
Treasure Beach are 13th in the league with eight points and will be hoping to close the gap on Molynes United who sit 12th on 16.