Humble Lion building strong squad
Price: We are going to be very competitive this season
Published:Monday | December 27, 2021 | 12:09 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
Last season, Humble Lion finished at the bottom of the 11-team Jamaica Premier League (JPL) standing with just six points from their ten matches.
Before the league kicked off, coach Andrew Price said his team was going to have to play catch-up during the season as COVID-19 restrictions prevented them from having the sort of preseason that would enable them to sufficiently compete against clubs with proper preseason preparations behind them.
However, for the upcoming 2021-22 season, tentatively set to begin in January, Humble Lion have had a full preseason under their belts, and Price expects his team to at least be challenging for a play-off spot this term.
“We are going to be very competitive this season. Last season, we started training very late, just two weeks before the competition started, and we were following the protocols for COVID-19, so we didn’t have the sort of preparation and time that other teams had.
“This year, with everybody (teams) on the same level with the same amount of protocols, restriction, and time, I think we got enough time to get in some adequate preparation, so I can see where we are going to be competitive.
Our first ambition
“We are most definitely looking for a better season this year, and we definitely want to be in the playoffs. That is our first ambition,” he said.
Like most teams in the league, Humble Lion have included a number of young new faces in their squad, and Price is looking for good things from one of their new recruits, former Dinthill midfielder Kareem Bryan, who he likened to a former local legend.
“We have brought in a lot of youth players under the age of 21 from Clarendon, and we will be releasing some exciting players.
“There is a youngster whose name is Kareem Bryan. He is a very good player. He reminds me a lot of (Peter) ‘Dove’ Marston, the former Santos and Jamaica midfielder, in how he handles the ball. He is a very good, well balanced player and one to look out for,” he said.
Price noted, however, that they have also maintained the core of their experienced players in Andrew Vanzie, Rohan Richards, Je-Vaughn Watson, Andre Clennon, and captain Dennis Taylor, who will guide the young players.
“We have some experience that we will build with the youths. We don’t want to just throw the youngsters in at the deep end.
“So having experienced players around them will help them to be competitive,” he said.
The club has also secured veteran wing back Xavian Virgo from Mount Pleasant and Demar Martin of Arnett Gardens for more experienced cover in defence.