Gilbert wary of overworking top striker Buckley

Excelsior High's Shaniel Buckley fire has not dimmed at the high school level or in the top-flight Jamaica Women's Premier League (JWPL) this season, but head coach Xavier Gilbert is aware that managing her minutes will be important not just for Excelsior's chances at back-to-back schoolgirls titles, but also in her growth as a player with aspirations at the senior level.

Buckley was commanding in scoring eight of her school's goals as Excelsior brushed past Immaculate 16-1 in their Group A ISSA/Tip Friendly schoolgirls' football encounter yesterday at the Constant Spring Sports Complex.

Buckley, who also plays for Frazsiers Whip in the JPL, was coming off an 11-goal performance for her club and didn't seem to slow down as she continued to cause problems in the tournament. Managing her workload is the priority for Gilbert, who is pleased with what she has produced in both tournaments this year.

"I think we have been managing her workload pretty well. As I said to her, you don't need to come and defend. You get to do your thing attack," Gilbert told STAR Sports. "From that perspective, she is enjoying what she's doing and doing well. She also will be managing her minutes."

Buckley is not the only one being watched as Gilbert noted that he has had to be mindful of easing the workload for some of his players this season, managing JWPL duties, as well as some who were called into camp with the Under-20 Concacaf Women's Championships on the horizon next month.

"That is something I have to be mindful about. Some played in the women's league, and you have to manage them as best as you can, and ensure that we don't overwork them. So that is also critical," Gilbert said.

"We are not going to train until the next game. They will get some time to recover because some of them played on Saturday, and some of them were in under-20 (camp)."

Despite the result and scoring 81 goals so far this season, Gilbert believes that Excelsior still have room for improvement, as he looks for the players to understand the fundamentals to flourish technically in the short and long term.