Hamilton bringing back the vibes for Cavalier
After serving a one-match ban, Nicholas Hamilton says that the experience is behind him, and he is ready to help Cavalier progress from its two leg quarter-final tie in the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) against Tivoli Gardens tomorrow at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex.
“I missed one game against Arnett Gardens,” Hamilton said. “I was on the bench for the game against Reno, and the coach (Rudolph Speid) said I showed a bad vibe, so I was suspended against Arnett.”
However, he said this vibe Speid picked up was misinterpreted. “I was not showing a bad vibe, as I sat on the bench. But, as a player, I wanted to play in the game. This is my first time in the play-off, so I am happy to be in the squad for that game,” he said.
Hamilton said that although his team has an average age of 18, it has enough talent and international experience to get by fierce rivals Tivoli.
“Our team is inexperienced in the RSPL, but we have players who have represented Jamaica at the Under-17 and Under-20 levels. There are also players like Alex Marshall, Chevone Marsh and Kaheem Parris who have all played for the senior national team,” Hamilton pointed out.
“We have a lot of players in the squad that are able to get the job done. We have to remain focused and go there for a good result. As teammates, we interact with each other, and the older players like myself also encourage the younger players. We share a good vibe in the camp. People say we are young, but the team will be ready and taking it step by step,” he said.
The Rudolph Speid-coached Cavalier SC team is crawling with young, exciting talent that has taken the Red Stripe Premier League by storm. However, most football pundits will tell that you cannot win titles with schoolboys or that inexperience can be a handicap when in the hunt for a title.
However, in midfielder Paul Wilson, Speid has a highly experienced player who has kept the young players grounded, focused and their level up to the required standard of the league. Tomorrow, the former Portmore United player knows how important his influence is going to be if they are to win and take the advantage of their quarter-final at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex.
“Coach got me here as an experienced player to help keep the younger guys. The players really welcomed me and accepted me into the family. They have responded to me well, it’s always positive, nothing negative,” he said.
GET THE JOB DONE
“My impact has been good. I am the type of player who likes to give an assist and since I have been here, I have given a number of assists and I got two goals. My experience is going to be important (tomorrow) and so too the other senior players like Marsh, Marshall and ‘Kumi’ (Nicholas Hamilton), we will have try to help the younger players keep a level head. But we have the type of players who can get the job done and once we work as a unit, we will achieve great things,” he commented.
Nevertheless he anticipates a very difficult match against Tivoli. “The Tivoli crowd is going to be very tough, so we will have to keep our players in tune,” he said. “But I feel very confident and we believe we can go all the way. We just have to take it one game at a time.
“Tivoli is a team that is going to come running. They are a very physical team and we will do all sorts of stuff just to throw them off their game. So the senior players will have to keep the young players in tune with everything and help them to keep going through the game.
“It’s very important to get a win going into the second leg because it’s not going to be easy. So we need to win with this one, it will be very crucial,” said Wilson.