Reynolds vows KC will be better

Coach Vassel Reynolds has promised the throng of Kingston College (KC) supporters that they will be better than the 4-0 flogging they received from Hydel High in their opening schoolboy Manning Cup football match of the season on Tuesday at Royal Lakes Complex in St Catherine.

The famed 'Purples' had a scrappy display, assisted by O'Neil Bryan being sent off in the 20th minute by referee Odette Hamilton. Reynolds blamed injuries, youthfulness, technical difficulties and inexperience for the poor performance.

The KC head coach, however, believes that, with the inclusion of other players and more work on the training field, they can overcome the challenges encountered in their first match.

"I can vow that we will rebound, and we will learn from this experience. We were behind the eight-ball from the beginning. We had some challenges where we were without four or five of our starters because of injuries and some technicalities with registration. So, what we did today was to install nine of the Colts (Under-16) players in the team.

"We will be better off for the experience, and some of those players who did not play will be a part of the team," Reynolds said.

According to Reynolds, the scoreline reflected errors in their defence, which placed them under pressure as early as the 12th minute when poor clearances gifted Kialand Smith with an open goal.

Reynolds also blamed the players for a lack of awareness in front of goal while also lamenting their inability to keep possession of the ball, especially in dangerous areas where he believed Hyde hurt them. He said these are areas they will be working to fix for the remainder of the season.

"We have to possess the ball for longer periods. We are turning over the ball too easily and, when we do that against possibly the most experienced team in the Manning Cup, they will dominate," Reynolds said.

"We wanted to be efficient in front of goal, finish most of our attacks and then regroup. We did the opposite for the most part, especially in the first 25 minutes where we gave up possession in dangerous areas, and we paid the penalty for it.

"It was always going to be a long shot against a very experienced Hydel team, going down a man short early in the game, especially since we showcased 10 Under-16 players," Reynolds added.

KC play their next match tomorrow when they face Calabar High at Stadium East at 3:30 p.m.

job.nelson@gleanerjm.com