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Coach Tomlinson using lost points to motivate Reno
April 15, 2024
It has been more than 10 years since FC Reno last graced the nation's top-flight football competition, the Jamaica Premier League (JPL).
However, executive and interim coach Everton Tomlinson said they are on a mission to reclaim their JPL status this season and are determined to do so.
Recently, the Westmoreland-based Reno lost six points, three for using an ineligible player and three after Hopewell withdrew from the competition. That resulted in them falling from third to sixth in the points standing, five points off a play-off spot.
Nevertheless, Tomlinson said they have used their situation as motivation, and their 1-0 win over league leaders Racing United on Saturday was proof.
NOT EASY
"Playing a team like Racing who has been in form and who has differentiated themselves from the start of the competition, was never going to be easy," Tomlinson told STAR Sports.
"The first time we played we lost 1-0 but we realised that they could have been beaten.
"Our preparation for the game was to go for a win. Also, knowing that we lost six points and we had to get ourselves back into position to get back into the top four, made it that more important.
"We have used those points that we have lost as inspiration. We are not turned off by it. We are only more determined to fight harder, so when the going gets tough, the tough gets going, and that is the approach we are taking," Tomlinson said.
He reflected also that while hosts Racing did put them under considerable pressure, Reno's discipline paid dividends on the day.
"It wasn't an easy battle. They really play hard at home. They are a very good team, a very tough opponent, but we did exactly what we knew we should to ensure that we came away with the victory. We were more disciplined than them and that really made the difference," he said.
CONCERNS
"There were some areas of concern that we will have to address going forward, but everyone put in the effort and the guys played like champions. They fought. They were very determined, and they stuck to the plan, and did enough to ensure that we won the game."
Reno are still sixth in the table on 24 points but are only three adrift of Chapelton Maroons and Baptiste Alliance in third and fourth, respectively, and only two behind fifth-place Brown's Town.
Tomlinson, who also had high praise for national under-18 defender, Jazen Williams, who scored the game's only goal, said after a decade it's important that Reno get back to the JPL.
"We cannot afford to lose our draw games now. We lost six points, so we must win every game under any circumstance, and we are prepared to tough it out and ensure we win.
"We need to be in the Premier League. It is time for Reno to be back. The west is depending on us because when we do well, western Jamaica football does well, so that is a message that we are carrying forward. It is time now. Long overdue. It is a very serious push from Reno this year," Tomlinson said.
CHALLENGES
He added: "Despite the financial challenges we have, and all the fans not supporting us yet, we are steadfast. Our culture is to love winners, so only we can bring them back and bring financial assistance on board, and we can't do it without results. It's a big burden but not impossible," he stated.
Racing lead the Jamaica Football Championship (JCL) with 40 points, followed by Tru Juice with 37, then Chapelton and Baptiste with 27, to complete the top four. Reno have 24 points, but enough time to reclaim a top-four spot with eight rounds of matches to go.
Reno were one of the premier teams in the JPL during the 1980s and 1990s, winning three local titles in the period in 1990, 1991 and 1995. They were relegated for a second time in 2012 after first being demoted in 2009.
