Marshall ready to shine in Canadian league

Having finally secured a move overseas, Jamaica international Alex Marshall says he is ready to meet the challenge with his new club HFX Wanderers of the Canadian Premier League (CPL)

The club officially announced the signing of the 21-year-old midfielder on a multi-year deal from Red Stripe Premier League outfit Cavalier on Wednesday. Speaking on the club's website, Marshall says that he is committed to excelling in the new league and contributing for the franchise playing in their second season.

"I'm excited. I've watched videos and seen the pitch in Halifax and it's a really good environment and a really good team. I'm going to give everything and fight and try to get the best results for the team," he said in an interview on the club's website.

Marshall will have Caribbean familiarity in the squad joining Trinidadians Akeem Garcia and Andre Rampersad who played in the club's inaugural season. He says that his mindset will be to entertain the fans with his skilful play but ensure that he performs consistently in helping to achieve the team's objectives.

"I'm going to try to put on a good show every day for the fans and take on players and try to score goals and get assists and that's an attacker's job," Marshall said. I'm just going to work hard and try to play my best and be creative. I like to play passes that most people don't see."

He has got the full backing of his new head coach Stephen Hart, who believes that Marshall's creative attributes will bode well for his team's aspiration for the new season which is set to begin in April.

"He is the type of player that can make things happen when all things are equal. He is a good dribbler and he also has an eye for that final pass," he said. "I think he has a lot of qualities and he looks to be somebody who enjoys playing football. That's something that you can't teach.

Marshall's move to the CPL is the culmination of several attempts for the Reggae Boy to play competitively on the international scene. He has gone on trial twice in Europe for German second division club St Pauli in 2016 and for Greek club Aris Thessalonki without securing a permanent move. He has been linked to clubs in England previously including Aston Villa.

Hart does acknowledge that they might not be able to hold on to Marshall should his performances attract bigger clubs abroad.

"I think he wants to play first team football and get exposed and if this is a stepping stone, he may have decided it's a good showcase team for him to cut his teeth in and then see what happens," he said.