Dunbeholden’s Thomas growing in confidence

Since the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) started in September, Dean-Andre Thomas has missed many chances on goal for Dunbeholden because he was low on confidence and unsettled after moving from team to team, from season to season.

However, since netting his first goal of the season against Mount Pleasant, in his native parish of St Ann, the 22-year-old forward's confidence has grown and he has consistently found the net and has six goals to his name. His goals have been the main reason the St Catherine team has climbed out of the relegation zone for the first time this season. He believes if he continues to produce at the same rate, he can even help Dunbeholden into the top six.

"It (season) never started how I wanted it to," he said. "When the league started, I wasn't finishing. Maybe if I was finishing, I would have more. But every game I got at least three chances when the season just started, but I was missing one-on-ones. But after I left Waterhouse to play Super League, the confidence wasn't there. It was when we played Mount Pleasant, because St Ann is where I come from, that gave me a drive, I scored and we won one love (1-0). I haven't played since we played against Reno, and I assisted two goals and we won three-nil. I got a little knock and I never played a few games, so when I came back, I was a little hungry," he said.

He also revealed that experience forwards Newton Sterling and Leon Strickland are having a positive influence on his game personally, as he learns from them when they aren't even noticing. "Certain things that they do in training, when it come to the games, I find I am doing it too. They might not notice that I am watching, but some things I see them do, I learn things like trying to outsmart the defenders," he said.

Dunbeholden are on 23 points, one above the relegation zone and 11 adrift of the play-off places and Thomas believes that as long as he continues to score, they will continue to pick up results.

"Every game I score in, we win or get a point, so I feel like if I score every game, we can more than stay in the league. We can make a run for the top six, we just have to work hard. My target is to get 16 and I have six, so I am now trying to get between 10 and 13," he said.