Adrian Frater, News EditorWESTERN BUREAU:
WHILE THE other three western teams are seemingly anxious to exploit the transfer window in the hope of strengthening their teams for the next half of the 2005-2006 Wray & Nephew National Premier League football competition, Village United appear quite satisfied with their present composition.
"Our wheel is rolling quite smoothly at this time so there is really no need for us to go shopping unless an exceptional player becomes available," said Dr. Dean Weatherley, the coach of the Trelawny team. "I have a scheduled meeting with the management later this week and I am sure that matter will come up for discussion."
However, while Village United, which is sitting comfortably in the upper half of the 12-team standings in fourth place on 30 points appear happy, struggling Seba United, in 10th place on 19 points, are busy seeking to add new players to their roster.
NEGOTIATONS
"We are in negotiation with three Kingston-based players and while we can confirm that goalkeeper Loxley Reid of Waterhouse is one of the players, it would be premature to name the others," said Seba United's manager Bruce Gaynor. "We see a need to strengthen the team so once there are good players out there and available, we will most definitely be seeking to recruit them."
While Wadadah - uncomfortably placed at ninth place on 17 points - would be happy to strengthen their unit, coach Anthony 'Follies' Williams said he is unaware of any move on the part of the club's management to sign new players. However, he did admit that Tivoli Gardens striker Markino Gillings, who started his NPL career at the MoBay club, has attended two of the team's training sessions.
"A number of players have attended our training sessions, including our former striker Markino Gillings, but I am unaware of any discussion between these players and management," said Williams. "We would be happy to get a few of them but you know financing is required to secure their services."
SERIOUS FINANCIAL STRAIN
In a recent interview with The Gleaner, Wadadah's manager. Gene Grey. said the team was under serious financial strain and added that had it not been for the willingness of the players to forego salaries at times, the team would have been in dire straits.
While Reno, in seventh position on 20 points, have not acquired any established stars, the club, which recently acquired the services of Godfrey Stewart High School's winning daCosta Cup coach Carl Palmer, has his entire championship team at their disposal as well as Mannings High School's outstanding goalkeeper Dwayne Kerr.
"We have already injected Dwayne Williams, who captained the Godfrey Stewart team, and Kerr, who has represented Jamaica in goal at the junior level, into the team" said Palmer. "We will be looking at injecting more players who did well in the daCosta Cup as some of them clearly have what it takes to perform at the NPL level."
In the era in which Reno dominated the NPL competition, their success revolved around the likes of Caple Donaldson, Donald Hewitt, Michael Graham, Mark 'Hagler' Wilson and goalkeeper Aaron Lawrence, who all joined the team after leading Rusea's to championship successes in the daCosta Cup.
