Big-game Edwards - Arnett goalkeeper credits experience for role in win against rivals

It two only took weeks for newly acquired Arnett Gardens goalkeeper Eric Edwards to endear himself to the home support and has credited his big-game experience to how he marshalled his time to victory in his first west Kingston derby win.

Edwards, the STAR Player of the Week in Week 10 of the Jamaica Premier League (JPL), had a man-of-the-match performance in Arnett's 2-0 win over Tivoli Gardens on Saturday, their first win over their rivals in two years, which extended their unbeaten run to nine games.

Edwards goalkeeper heroics included a last-gasp save to deny a Tivoli equaliser, a save that galvanised Arnett to score the clinching second goal on the very next sequence. Edwards is not new to big-match occasions, having played for both Portmore United and also their St Catherine rivals, Dunbeholden. He said that those experiences prepared him for last Saturday in what he described as his biggest game so far.

"When I was at Portmore, and [also] Dunbeholden, it groomed me a lot for derby games because Portmore and Dunbeholden are two great teams," Edwards told THE WEEKEND STAR. "Even playing against an Arnett or Waterhouse while I was at Dunbeholden, it is always a big game for me. It is always a game that gets a lot of highlights and people look forward to them."

Edwards' last-gasp save in the 88th minute brought a roar from the Arnett fans at Sabina Park, which for him was the perfect way to announce himself to his new team after completing the move earlier in March.

"I think I just needed a change," he said. "I have been in the Portmore system since 2010. So I think I needed to be somewhere out of my comfort zone, to find out who I am. Sometimes you are in your comfort zone you don't know what you can do differently from what you normally can.

"It was a breathtaking game, with the cheers of the fans, it boosted the team and gave the team more confidence. And with that save, it lifted the team's spirits more."

It was a move that was made easier as he has been reunited with head coach Paul Davis, who trained him while he was at Clarendon College, a partnership that he looks forward to continuing.

"Being back him with, he knows what I can do, but he is in my skin because he knows what he can get from me and knows what more he can get out of me," Edwards said. "It wasn't that hard to adapt because the players knew me from before. It was a good feeling to go there and I just feel welcome."