Thomas hails ‘organised’ players after 1-0 JPL win
Published:Tuesday | January 3, 2023 | 1:22 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter - -
AFTER five defeats in their last seven games, the Alex Thomas-coached Molynes United began 2023 on a bright note in the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) with a 1-0 victory over Dunbeholden at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex last night.
Dunbeholden, who were wasteful in front of goal, paid dearly as 11 minutes into the second half, Molynes United ended a fine all-round team buildup with a goal by Jason Wright. Wright, despite being under pressure, calmly slotted home his chance, which proved to be his team’s winning goal.
Following the wake-up call, Dunbeholden responded with a 10-minute burst of sustained pressure which failed to deliver a goal. Dunbeholden’s Peter McGregor came close in the 64th minute as his powerful effort came within inches of the desired target. A minute later Chevoy Watkin also went close.
In his post-game assessment, head coach Thomas said he was pleased to have started off the year on a winning note, on the back of losing five of their last seven games.
“I’m highly elated, hats off to my team because we played organised. We suffered some heavy defeats in our last few games, especially against Mount Pleasant, so hats off too to my coaching staff. We’ve had a lot of injuries, but we just have to keep moving on,” said Thomas.
His counterpart, head coach of Dunbeholden, Ricardo Smith, was a disappointed figure as his team lost only their third game of the season, but are now scoreless in their last three games.
“It’s a tough one, whether it’s the start of the year or not. We created a lot of chances but we didn’t put them away. When the first half finished, and we didn’t get a goal I could have predicted the 1-0 defeat and I told them in the changing room. Based on the chances we created, we should have won the game,” Smith said.