Ferguson backs mentally tough McKenzie to succeed

Jamaica College (JC) head coach Davion Ferguson said that the mental toughness of national youth player Duncan McKenzie will be a great asset to his development as he leaps into the professional ranks.

McKenzie has signed with Serbian club RFK Graficar Beograd on a three-year deal, bringing to a close his schoolboy career with JC. McKenzie, 18, was unveiled by the club on Thursday signing his contract with his mother and brother present.

Ferguson said that he believes McKenzie has the strength to handle the demands of the professional game given how he has responded to adversity for JC and the youth national team, specifically during the Under 20 Concacaf tournament.

“His mental fortitude is one of his greatest strengths. Things won’t be easy professionally. The game is really difficult at that level in terms of the mental strain that they go through, but he will acquit himself well where that is concerned,” Ferguson told The Gleaner. “Even in the Under 20 tournament when he missed the penalty, he came back and played four games in the tournament (and played well). The same thing that happened last season in the Manning Cup. He missed a penalty, but he came back in the tournament and performed well.”

Despite having another year left of eligibility, Ferguson said that McKenzie chose to capture his dream, a choice that he and the staff at JC supports.

“He has a foot in the door now so it is for him to ensure that he maintains himself there. But I have absolutely no doubt that based on the quality that he has as a player and the person that he is, he will sustain a very long and fruitful career as a professional,” Ferguson said.

In what was his last schoolboy football season in 2021/22, McKenzie captained JC to the Manning Cup final, but lost on penalties. Ferguson said that McKenzie’s move is a proud moment for the school.

“What we want to do is sell the programme in a good light and I think Duncan has been doing that and will continue to do that. So, I think we at Jamaica College love the fact that one of our own, our captain, has moved on to the professional ranks,” Ferguson said. McKenzie will be the second Jamaican to play at the club. The first was former Harbour View player Norman Campbell who signed with the club in October 2020. He spent one year in Serbia before returning to Harbour View in June 2021.