Atkinson impresses for Cavalier on pro debut
Published:Sunday | June 27, 2021 | 12:09 AMDaniel Wheeler - Staff Reporter
Having been denied the opportunity to finish his schoolboy football season because of COVID-19, Kingston College alum and Cavalier forward Dwayne Atkinson was determined to take advantage of the return of the Jamaica Football League.
The second-half substitute broke the deadlock with a curling effort in the 77th minute, sparking Cavalier SC ‘s 2-0 win over Humble Lion in the second match of the opening day double-header at the University of the West Indies/Jamaica Football Federation/Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence yesterday.
Mount Pleasant and Tivoli Gardens played to a 0-0 draw in the first game as local top-flight football returned after a 15 month hiatus.
While the opening match did not lack goal-scoring opportunities for either side, chances between Cavalier and Humble Lion were at a premium until Atkinson’s long range shot found the top corner, giving Humble Lion goalkeeper Dennis Taylor no chance. Courtney Allen would seal the points deep into stoppage time, rounding the goalkeeper before slotting home into an empty net.
Atkinson’s schoolboy career came to an abrupt end with the cancellation of the 2020 Manning Cup season because of the pandemic.
PROFESSIONAL LEVEL
He, however, says that he is relishing his opportunity to prove himself consistently at the professional level.
“Everything (happens for a reason) . I didn’t finish my Manning Cup career as how I wanted to but (returning to professional football), everything happens (for a reason). I was anxious but I wanted to put out my all, knowing that the season has begun,” Atkinson said.
It was a goal that pleased Cavalier assistant coach Everdeen Scarlett, who says he expects Atkinson to play a key part in Cavalier’s play-off ambitions.
“It’s a great goal for the (youngster). Atkinson is one of our better players in the position that he came on and played, but he is just coming off an injury and we as coaches decided that, hey we are not going to risk him at the start. So let him just sit and watch and, hopefully, he will adapt to the conditions, and he came on and he did just that,” said Scarlett.
Humble Lion Head Coach Andrew Price said that his team’s lack of fitness cost them down the stretch.
“I think that fatigue set in. I think that, as the game wore on, we got tired and you could see the fitness of the Cavalier team start to show. We are going to have to play ourselves into fitness. We are not where we want to be, but we are going to work out a way,” Price said.
Meanwhile, Tivoli Gardens Head Coach Philip Williams said that, despite his team’s lack of match fitness, he was pleased at how they battled with Mount Pleasant to earn a point in the season opener.
“It was very surprising to see us matching for the most part Mount Pleasant step by step. We also created chances to put the game away. But a point is one that we accept,” Williams said.
Mount Pleasant Head Coach Paul Davis lamented his side’s failure in taking advantage of Tivoli while they were struggling to maintain their intensity.
“We were (the fitter team) but I thought that we dropped the ball. At times, we (allowed) the Tivoli team to recuperate. When you get teams like that, when you see that they are not fully fit, we should have pushed them back and kept that channel open,” Davis said.
Portmore United will face Dunbeholden at the same venue today at 11:00 a.m.