Austin hunts Lynk Cup for Portmore

If this is the final game of Rodolph Austin's career, he hopes to sign off by getting his boyhood club Portmore United back in the habit of winning when they face Cavalier in tonight's Lynk Cup final at 8 at Sabina Park.

Austin, who has been anchoring Portmore's defence since his return in 2022, will lead them in what could be the final game of a career that has seen him spend the majority of his time in Europe.

Whether it was in league play or this Lynk Cup run, Austin has been ever present, and after seeing them come back from the brink to beat Harbour View in the semi-finals, which he relished.

"These are the games that you want to play. We have a winning mentality at the club, and we just have to keep going," Austin said.

Austin started his career at Portmore United between 2005-2009 before his Europe adventure began in Norway with SK Brann and then with stops in England with Leeds United and Denmark with Brondby and Esbjerg. From his decade in Europe, he said that creating a disciplined and resilient group has been the key to Portmore's success.

"We train hard, we upkeep discipline, and we try to develop professional players. We have a never-say-die attitude, so those are the things that we impose at the club," he said.

He has been on the brink of silverware before, having played in the Norweigan Cup final in 2011 with SK Brann, which ended in defeat. With the book about to close on his career, Austin hopes that Lynk Cup success will be a fitting way to reward Portmore, who gave him the launching pad for his international career.

"It would be a very good achievement for me to come back and win something with my old club," Austin said.