‘Rammie’, a self-style Jorge Campos
FCavalier’s Colin Anderson goes into this Sunday’s Jamaica Premier League (JPL) final sitting atop the goalscorers’ chart with 19 goals, one ahead of main threat Trivante Stewart of Mount Pleasant.
The forward, however, insists that he is more interested in winning the JPL title than the top scorer award, though admitting that he is also up for the Golden Boot challenge. “No. It’s (top scorer) not on my mind when I step out on the field. When I come out, I fight with this team. This team is a good team. I love this team. The best team I have ever played for. So I want to win trophies with this team. I love the spirit of the guys. It’s a great team,” Anderson said. He revealed that he was motivated by Stewart’s double in ormer Jamaica Premier League (JPL) shot-stopper Julian McLeish, a two-time champion, having won back-to-back titles with Arnett Gardens in 2000 and 2001, believes he was drawn into becoming a goalkeeper after watching former Mexican great Jorge Campos. McLeish stated he copied Campos’ acrobatic style and his trademark baggy short sleeve jersey.
“Jorge Campos, a the boss that. Matter of fact, when I was small and watching Campos, I used to say to myself that ‘him short eeh’, and I’m short too. So, I said that I wanted to be like him, and that’s why I started to goal keep in short sleeves and shorts because I just wanted to be like Campos. He was my idol goalkeeper,” he stated.
McLeish, who hails from Kingston Gardens, revealed that during his younger days, the goalkeeping position became his preferred choice, because he felt safer there, based on
Cavalier’s semi-final second leg and will be just as motivated for Sunday’s decider in a face-off against his rival striker. Stewart played in the semi-final before and scored two goals in Mount Pleasant’s triumph over Arnett Gardens.
“I’m on 19 (goals) right now, and Trivante is my friend. I really like him as a player, but I was on the top too long, not getting any challenge. So I got a challenge (Sunday), so I had to come out and deliver.
“I love football, so every time I come out, I want to deliver,” he commented.
He credits his consistent form over the season to his hard work and dedication, and he believes his labour will bear fruit at the big dance on Sunday.
“I work on everything in training and come out and deliver, and I thanked myself for that. Mount Pleasant is a good team, and we have to give them credit, but this team (Cavalier) is a winning team, and every time we go out, we want to win,” he said.
livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com what he saw his neighbour and friend going through on the football pitch.
“I grew up having two next-door neighbours, one who played cricket and the other who played football. Every time I watched the one who played football, I wanted to play like him.
“When I started to play during the evenings, I realised that he was getting a lot of kicks. I said, ‘no, better me try out for the goal,’ because the goalkeeper gets fewer kicks, so I tried the goal, and it worked out,” he uttered.
As for the players that gave him the most trouble throughout his illustrious JPL career, McLeish said that Jermaine Hue and Roland Dean were two that stood out the most for him, as both players had similar characteristics, in which a goalkeeper’s lapse in concentration could be costly.
“For me, it was Harbour View’s Jermaine Hue and Tivoli’s Roland Dean. With Hue, you had to be switched on 24/7 because, at any time, you had to be ready to make a save because he always came with his ‘A’ game.
“Roland Dean is the same thing. He had some quick turns that you, as the goalkeeper, had to be ready because if you lapse, he’ll score. I always had a good game against Tivoli because of Roland Dean, as I always had to be atop my game,” McLeish stated.