The turnaround that Thomas built
Published:Thursday | January 1, 2026 | 12:13 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
For much of the first round of the Jamaica Premier League (JPL), Molynes United were a top candidate for relegation this season.
The Jermaine Thomas-coached team went 10 matches without a win to start the season; however, since the league returned after the passage of Hurricane Melissa, Molynes have looked a new team, with a dramatic turnaround that has left them flirting with the top six.
Before Hurricane Melissa, Molynes were second from bottom with five points, all draws. However, the team appears to have benefited from the league’s postponement.
They resumed the JPL with a win over Cavalier and have gone unbeaten in four outings, three wins and a draw, leaping from second to last to seventh in the table with 15 points.
However, coach Jermaine Thomas insists they haven’t accomplished anything yet, and that they must stay grounded and continue to work hard.
“It (recent performance) speaks volumes. It is a testament to the hard work we have been doing. We have invested a lot of time in getting the players to work really hard, and they have responded well.
“But for me, the important thing is to keep the expectation levels at a point that is somewhat balanced. We don’t want to get overly confident and carried away. We want to continue to work hard and remind them that we are still in a league with 20-odd more games to go. It’s a long way to go. So this is nothing for us to get carried away with,” he stated.
The impact of forwards Samson Oke (one goal) and Wisdom Ubani (three) have been instrumental to their form as well, and Thomas is pleased with the Africans’ contributions thus far.
“They have been working hard. They are hard workers. Committed to the task, and we do appreciate their efforts.
“They are team players and we welcome that. They are enjoying being here and they really want to make a mark. They want to make a difference, hence the performance you are seeing on the pitch,” he stated.
On Sunday, Molynes got goals from Nickache Murray (43rd minute) and Ubani (71st) in a 2-0 win over Waterhouse to follow up their 3-1 win over Arnett Gardens, thanks to a brace from Tyrique Wilson and one from Oke.
Against Waterhouse, Molynes were the better team for most of the match, with Oke alone having five good chances in the first half.
Murray eventually put them in front from a corner just before the break, and Ubani tapped home midway the second half to kill off the match.
“It (win) means a whole lot. We have been working hard. We have been playing well. Tonight (Sunday) they came out and really followed instructions.
“We remained compact for long periods and denied them the central areas. However, had we been a little more composed in the final third the margin could have been bigger. But I thought they gave a balanced performance and I am really proud of them,” he said.
He added: “To get two goals and three points in this league [is valuable], and we are grateful for that. Now, we need to assess the weak areas, because there are weak areas. We need to assess and go back to the training pitch and fix them.”