Latest News
‘It is about the discipline’ - Chapelton Maroons coach wants greater application against lowly-placed teams
January 30, 2025
Chapelton Maroons FC's head coach Jermaine Douglas says they must find a way to get better results against teams in the lower half of the Jamaica Premier League (JPL), after their 3-1 defeat to Dunbeholden in the first game of a doubleheader at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex yesterday.
In the feature match, eighth- place Racing United FC nipped Harbour View FC 1-0 on a Ronaldo Biggs goal to move to 25 points. Harbour View stayed on 16 points and lie second from bottom, in the relegation zone.
Also yesterday, Montego Bay United FC retained second spot with a 3-1 win over Waterhouse FC at the Montego Bay Sports Complex, moving to 44 points, five adrift leaders Mount Pleasant Football Academy, who host Vere Phoenix at Drax Hall today. Waterhouse stayed sixth on 33 points.
Goals from Dwight Merrick (ninth), Nickoy Christian (52nd) and Dean Andre Thomas (82nd) put Dunbeholden 3-0 up, before Marlon Allen (90+1) got a late goal for Chapelton.
Almost as if it's a curse, Douglas has seen his team pick up points against top six teams Mount Pleasant Football Academy, the leaders, and Cavalier Soccer Club, Arnett Gardens FC and Waterhouse FC. He admits, however, that results and performances against lower table teams such as Humble Lions FC, Vere Phoenix, Racing United FC and Molynes United FC have been disappointing.
"I think it is more psychological. But in two of those games there were mitigating circumstances that caused us to lose. The Vere game was my first game. I only had one session and we got a red card early in the Humble Lions game and it set us back," Douglas explained.
"So it is about the discipline of the team; tactical discipline and the overall discipline, staying out of the referee's book and all those things.
"So there are things we have to work on to get this team to progress and we have to fix them and fix them fast," he stated.
Douglas said given that there is not much of a gap between the teams outside the top seven, it's important to pick up wins.
Dunbeholden are 11th with 19 points, while Chapelton are 10th on 20 points. Two teams that play today are within striking distance; Molynes United (21) and Vere Phoenix (17).
"It is tight from the middle down. Any loss or any victory and you are going to move. So we lost today and teams will get closer to us. And when we win again we move further up the table. That has been happening to us since I took over," Douglas assessed.
"But it is about winning games. That is all we have to focus on. We cannot worry about other teams or our position in the table. We are only worried about winning games and everything else will take care of itself," he said.
Dunbeholden's head coach, Harold Thomas, noted their improvements.
"The performance was a good performance, it was an improved performance. It doesn't mean we are at the point where we want to be as yet, but at least you can see some elements of improvement there. We were able to organise ourselves better and we got the result we wanted today," he said.
At the Montego Bay Sports Complex, Shaniel Thomas (31st minute), Jean Claudio Ferreira (44th) and Johann Weatherly (71st) scored for the home team, while Mario Simms (78th) netted for Waterhouse.
