Fletcher’s confidence knocked after double sub

Nigel Stewart, Mount Pleasant's, assistant coach, has come under criticism after putting on schoolboy football standout Jourdain Fletcher in the last 10 minutes of his side's second-leg Red Stripe Premier League quarter-final match against UWI at Drax Hall on Sunday.

Fletcher, who left relegated Montego Bay United in the January transfer window in an effort to revive a career, suffered a major blow to his confidence after he was put into the game on Sunday with 10 minutes remaining; however, before the final whistle, the watching public was stunned, both at the venue and in TV land, as the out-of-favour national player was recalled to the bench and replaced for the final minutes of the contest.

Mount Pleasant eventually secured a 1-0 win and advance to the semi-finals 3-2 on aggregate. But the Fletcher's double substitution left a bad taste in the mouths of many spectators and both sets of fans who were at the venue.

Stewart insisted, however, that the change was purely tactical and argued that the player is a professional and should understand the reason for his double substitution.

"It was a tactical change. He (Fletcher) was winded and we needed a fresh foot in midfield, so we took him off. But it was a tactical change and we are professionals, so we understand," he commented.