Portmore set sights on Lynk Cup

Portmore United may be out of the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) but the Lynk Cup KO competition still presents a chance for the St Catherine-based club to take home some precious silverware before the end of the season.

Portmore finished seventh in the preliminary round of the JPL with 40 points, just a point below Dunbeholden who grabbed the sixth and final play-off spot.

Former national player Rodolph Austin who captained Leeds United in the English Championship while he played for the club from 2012 to 2015 has been impressed with the tournament pointing to its competitiveness and the enthusiasm of the players.

"Yes, definitely (it is like the FA Cup in England). It's really competitive. People have been longing for something like this. So it's really a good thing," he said.

Portmore turned back Molynes United 4-3 on aggregate in the last round and Austin was pleased to see the level their opponents were playing at.

"Jason Wright is very good, and (Nicholas) Nelson, the striker. Molynes United on a whole are a very good team. You have a lot of good players in the league they just need opportunities," he commented.

The second leg, ended 2-2 with a brace each from Nelson and Portmore's Chevaughn Walsh, who was smiling from ear to ear, after collecting $10,000 for his double strike (players are rewarded with $5,000 for every goal).

"It feels good. It is good for the mind, the pocket. You can have fun with it," Walsh said.

He said, however, that they must improve if they intend to go all the way and lift the cup.

"I cannot complain after scoring a brace. But we can improve. There are some areas we are working on and we just have to keep our heads down and keep working hard," he said.

The winning team in the Lynk Cup will collect $1.6 million, second place $1.4 million, third place $1,050,000 and fourth $800,000.

Portmore will face Harbour View in their first leg semifinal at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex on Friday at 5:30 p.m.