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‘Spanner’ running discipline at Santos
January 19, 2024
Carlton 'Spanner' Dennis is focused on discipline, which he credits to Santos' excellent start to the Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) Wray and Nephew Championships.
Santos currently sit atop the Championship points standing with 10 points after three wins and a draw in their first four games.
Dennis, a well-known name in Jamaican football, attributes this to the players being fully committed to Santos' success because of policies implemented each day at training.
"One of the things that I and the management emphasise is discipline," Dennis said. "Our policy is that you must train to be in the squad for match day. You train at least three days out of the four possible training days.
"If you don't train, then you are out, and we are keeping that, so there are no superstars. The only star is the coach, not the players. That is what we are doing. I think it is working for us and if we can maintain it, then we can go far in this league."
Santos, despite the season being early, have begun to set themselves apart as one of the top contenders to challenge for the title. They have already secured a vital victory when they defeated then-league leaders Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) 1-0.
Dennis, however, insists that they will take the competition one match at a time and will not allow the tag of title contenders to blind their objective. An experienced coach, Dennis says he is aware of the dangers that can come when teams lose focus.
"We've just played four games; it's too early talking about that. When we've reached further down the road and see what develops, we can talk about that. I remember this happening to us before, and we needed three points, and we didn't get it so I'm not hanging up my hat there again. I'm taking it one day at a time, and we'll see what happens," Dennis said.
Santos will rely on a mixture of youth and experience this season, with Dennis boasting players with Jamaica Premier League (JPL) experience under their belts and players still in schoolboy programmes.
