WE BELIEVE! Sandals look to claw ahead of Humble Lion for RSPL survival

Coach of Sandals South Coast FC Aaron ‘Wild Boy’ Lawrence is highly confident that his team will defy the odds and play again in the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) next season.

Sandals are in 11th spot in the relegation zone on 19 points, ahead of last-place team Boys’ Town, who are on 17 points. However, Lawrence is targeting 10th-place Humble Lion, who are on 30 points. With six rounds remaining in the RSPL preliminary stage, Lawrence said that Humble Lion is not as strong as in years past. “There are teams out there to catch like Humble Lion, who are not their usual self, like over the years. They are the closest to us, so the focus must be on them. We can’t give up, have to keep fighting and hoping that things go our way. We’re not giving up. We’re still training and the team is upbeat. We are going,” Lawrence told STAR Sports. “I don’t think Humble Lion are as strong as years gone by. When you look at the teams they have to play, and where the matches will be played, anything is possible. They have teams like Harbour View, Cavalier, Tivoli, Waterhouse and MoBay to play, so there is still hope,” he assessed.

CHANGE THINGS

“While, the only game we look at as the toughest for us coming up, is against Tivoli on Sunday at STETHS. We have to change things come Sunday at our new home in St Elizabeth. It is home for us until next season when we are still in the league. We will return to Westmoreland for home games,” Lawrence added.

Sandals gained promotion to the RSPL but stuck with most of the players from the Western Super League, a move that Lawrence regrets.

“I think one of our biggest downfalls, looking back, was not finding players with experience playing in the top league. And, loyalty is not supposed to be in football, as we tried to give our

people opportunity and I don’t think they made the best of it. It is not Super League, and we needed more,” he recounted.

“I have confidence in the players that came in during the transfer window. Young (Claudious) Blackburn has played only four games and scored twice. I was here thinking that if we had found him before the start of the season, we probably would not be in this situation of fighting relegation. One of our major problems is goalscoring and Blackburn is settling nicely. He works hard in training,” Lawrence said.

GLADSTONE TAYLOR Sandals South Coast FC head coach Aaron Lawrence is deep in discussion with his squad, who were trailing Cavalier SC 2-0 at half time in their Red Stripe Premier League clash at the Stadium East field on February 7. Sandals lost the game 2-1.