Western teams struggle in RSPL first round

The western teams have found themselves sitting just above the above the relegation zone on 11 points each, with FC Reno (ninth) having the better goal difference over Montego Bay United (MBU) at the end of the first round of matches in the Red Stripe Premier League.

Vassell Reynolds, coach of MBU, which failed to register a win at home in the first round, said it is a concern for the club but insisted that they are looking to pick things up in the next round as there are positive signs for improvement.

"It is a bit of a concern. That, I think, is one of the negatives of this first round. We would have finished four or five points less than what we had targeted for the first round," said Reynolds.

REASON TO CHEER

"Most definitely, we want to give the fans something to cheer. The fact that we have been getting some victories away means that we have the capability. Maybe it's a psychological pressure or something, but we will get it right. We are just asking for a bit of patience as we will continue to work hard at it for the second round," he added.

He said there was much room for improvement.

"I have seen enough to know that we can compete with just about any team in this competition. The signs are pretty good, but clearly, we have some work to do, and we are willing to put in the work. We have to remain resilient because we need to come much better in the second round," he said.

Despite playing well at home, picking up 10 points from six games, Reno have only managed one draw on the road against MBU.

Coach Godfrey Drummond said the team did not reach its projected points total for the first round.

"We still have some games before the transfer window opens as we are looking to strengthen come January. What we need to do now is to see how best we can consolidate in the second round," he said. "We want to continue to dominate our home fixtures and, at the same time, get as many points as we can on the road so that we can make up for the first-round deficit."