By Nodley Wright, Staff ReporterTHE TONY Spaulding Sports Complex will be a hive of activity today as action in Zone A of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Championships gets under way.
Defending National Premier League champions Arnett Gardens face VSADC of St. Lucia in the feature game at 6:00 p.m. Club Franciscain of Martinique and Violette Athletic Club of Haiti were to meet in the opening game at 4:00 but the former has withdrawn from the competition.
In place of that game, Arnett Gardens' Under-21 team will meet their counterparts from Rivoli in a rescheduled game at 3:30.
Arnett Gardens, Violette and VSADC are vying for a place in the CONCACAF Club Championships which is a qualifying tournament for the World Club Championships. A second Jamaican team, Harbour View, is in Zone B from which the winner will also advance.
For today's game, Arnett Gardens coach Jerome Waite is somewhat cautious as his team showed poor form over the weekend and is hobbled by injuries to at least two key players.
"I am pretty much worried right now because injuries have become a part of the situation. Eugene Barnes and Kwame Richardson limped off with injuries against Reno on Sunda," Waite said.
That situation has not been helped by the unavailability of players who would have stood in for them. Defender Shane Stevens, who would have been a certain starter if Barnes does not recover in time, did not show up for training camp, thus ruling himself out.
Forward Brenton Lopez, an automatic replacement for Richardson, turned up late for camp and was sent home. Veteran utility player Denton Shedden is the only other experienced forward in the squad besides Walter Boyd and Kevin Wilson - neither of whom are 100 per cent fit.
On the defensive end, Waite believes he has more options.
"There is Wayne Ellis (Jamaica Under-23) representative and Marcus McDonald," he said.
These two will vie for a place alongside Oneil Dunn, Alex Thomas, Gerald Neil and possibly Gregory Messam.
The uncertainty around the Arnett Gardens' lineup is not helped by the fact that not much is known about their opponents, Vempers Sports Athletic and Dramatic Club (VSADC).
"I do not know much about them apart from the information which we have gathered. That they are one of the top clubs in their country having won their league five times and their champions Cup once," said Waite of the team which was due to arrive in the island last night.
He continued: "I have neither seen a game with them nor do I know how many national players are a part of their set-up."
What Waite is banking on for today is that the players will rediscover their form. Based on a training session held yesterday morning, he believes they are getting their heads together.
"They can lift their game. We had an excellent training session in the morning. The mood in the camp is good and the players are optimistic.
"Once they take this attitude and what we practised into this game, I expect them to do well," he said.
With Club Franciscain out of the competition a good start is even more important. "We are playing one game less. It could help or hamper our chances of advancing but it depends on how we handle the first game," Waite said.
