Edwards hopes pole position can motivate players

After beating Portmore away from home on Sunday at Prison Oval to climb to the top of the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL), Tivoli coach Omar Edwards hopes this will be added motivation for his players going into their mid-week game against Humble Lion at the Edward Seaga Complex tonight.

Edwards' team showed character, team spirit, and defensive organisation against the champions on Sunday and he hopes they can replay these traits to keep their place at the summit.

"It's early season and to go top of the table is always good. I am just hoping this will be added motivation to the entire unit, so I am hoping this will push them to the extreme," he said

"Playing away from home (against Portmore) and getting maximum points is always a welcome feeling. We kept a clean sheet and score one goal against a quality Portmore team. The defensive shape was not up to par but half-time the talk gave them the tactical direction that was needed and the second-half was a big plus," he continued.

Tivoli lead the standings with 16 points after eight round of matches, closely followed by Portmore and Mount Pleasant with 14 points each.

However, ninth-place Humble Lion, who scored their first win of the season in round six a couple weeks ago and went on to score back-to-back victories against Mount Pleasant and Harbour View, are in high spirits and should present a real test for the league leaders.

But playing at home, Edwards has nothing but capturing all three points on his mind.

"We are playing at home and we are anticipating a 7 p.m. game. Humble Lion started the season badly but have been gaining momentum. But we want to continue what we are doing, which is to maintain our winning form and stay on top of the league.

"But, to do that, we have to be very consistent both in offence and defence. Humble Lion is coming to Kingston and we are looking to bring our A game so we can get the best result possible.. Humble Lion possesses good quality players and we are aware of that.

"But we want to take care of our home business and we will be playing at home and playing at home we want to maximise and drive home our home advantage. We will have to be consistent and understand what this is all about, then we will be more focused and positive and the end result will be more in our favour," he told STAR Sports.

The game will also mark the return of night games under lights at the venue, and Edwards said this has lifted the mood at the club.

"The players are very enthused about playing under the lights. We have had some training sessions under the lights and the players are very motivated, so it will be a big motivation and I am hoping for a good game," he said.