Molynes United’s revival sparks optimism

AFTER languishing in the bottom three of the Jamaica Premier League football competition for a long period, Molynes United FC have shown significant improvement over their last four matches.

The Jermaine Thomas-coached team now sit eighth on 15 points, the same as seventh-place Waterhouse FC, who have a better goal difference.

In their latest outing on Sunday, Molynes registered a 2-0 away win over Waterhouse, with Nickache Murray (44th) and Nigerian Wisdom Ugani (72nd) accounting for the goals.

After finishing 11th last season, Thomas is optimistic about the remainder of the competition.

"The latest resurgence of the team is due to the bonding of the players. We have shown more organisation, the players have become more positive in what they are doing, and the confidence level among them is very high," said Thomas.

"We do not want them to get overconfident, as there is a downside to that which can cause them to lose focus."

In his third season as head coach, Thomas was asked about the possibility of a top-six finish. His response was measured.

"We are not putting any pressure on the players by talking about a top-six finish. It is just taking it one game at a time and seeing what happens from there," he shared.

"The break was also good for the players, as we used the time for some serious assessment. It wasn't that we were playing badly before, as most of our games against the big-name teams ended in drawn results, which showed that we were competitive," added Thomas, who noted that the team has now become more compact in their play.

With the schoolboy season now completed, Thomas, who also coached daCosta Cup team McGrath High, was asked if he plans to inject some players from that school into the Molynes squad.

"It has been a long season for them, and there are a few in mind, but not before the January window," stated Thomas, who already has last year's schoolboy standout, Devonie Davis, in his team.

Thomas is now looking ahead to Molynes' next assignment this Sunday, when they play host to Mt Pleasant. "This is a big game, as they are Caribbean champions and play very disciplined football. The last time we played them in Montego Bay, the game ended in a draw, and our guys will be up for this one," said Thomas.