Arnett ruing inactive weekend
Arnett Gardens head coach Alex Thomas said missing the first round of Jamaica Premier League (JPL) games will put his team at a disadvantage physically, going into their opening match against
Tivoli Gardens on Monday.
Thomas said that all the other teams would have gotten some match condition after last weekend’s first round of games, while Arnett did not, as their opening fixture against UWI was cancelled after that team pulled out of the league. However, he said that while they had the opportunity to see Tivoli play, their opponents are yet to know what Arnett will bring to the table, and they will try to use that to their advantage when they meet. “Not playing is a disadvantage because this was what we were preparing for,” Thomas said. “The disadvantage of not playing is other teams will have better condition than us. But we are prepared and ready to go.
“We have had an opportunity to see them over the weekend so we will sit down and go through the tape and see their strengths, weaknesses and a overall view of them.
“First game is not something you can read much into because team chemistry and all of that may still need working on.
Tivoli versus Arnett Gardens is traditionally one of the biggest local rivalry and Thomas is hoping Arnett (his team) can produce a result that is pleasing to their expectant fans.
“Tivoli, Arnett Gardens is a big derby match, a physical game and we expect end-to-end action,” he said. “But we need to focus on our objectives and execute at the end of the day.
“The objective is always a positive result, especially in an intense derby and we as a team will be working very hard to get that result.”