Harbour View keep faith in young guns

André Lowe, Senior Staff Reporter

Like they did last year, Digicel Premier League champions Harbour View will be relying heavily on the talents of their young players, as they get set to try and become the first team since the Arnett Gardens team in 2000 and 2001 to win back-to-back titles.

With the likes of André Steele, John Ross Edwards and Romario Campbell rising to the fore and playing leading roles during last season's campaign, head coach Donovan Hayles is eyeing the club's fourth lien on the trophy.

True to the club's mantra, which speaks to the development of youth talent, Harbour View have so far resisted calls by some to get reinforcements elsewhere, and have, instead, focused on their youth system, with chief Under-21 architects Ranique Muir, Jamali Spence and Ranique Cole being promoted to the ranks of the senior team.

Hayles, in the meantime, has already forgotten about last year's triumph and is fully aware that the task will be an even greater one this year as the cross hairs focus on his young charges.

Expectation

"Last year, it was a surprise for many, because nobody was expecting us to win with such a young team. The expectation is going to be even greater this year - and that's the challenge - because now everyone knows that they (young players) are capable of doing well, so there will be no complacency or anything like that from other teams," Hayles reasoned.

"We are coming into this as a challenger like everyone else. These are young players and really and truly they have nothing to defend, they have everything to prove all over again," he added.

Despite their youthfulness, Hayles is still confident that they will be the first team to win back-to-back crowns since Arnett Gardens in 2001 and 2002.

"There is no doubt ... I have all the confidence in the world that even with this young squad we can win," Hayles assured. "Last year we did it and they delivered, so it has been tried, tested and proven and on that basis I have decided to stick to this formula, stick with these players, and continue on the trend that we have started years ago by using young players."

Hayles dismissed the notion that there is a need to sign so-called established players, arguing that it was an unnecessary expense.

"It is very important that we continue to develop strong players out of our youth programme. When you look around the league, a lot of top players, so to speak, have been rotating from club to club with little or no result. So that has convinced me that when you concentrate on developing your own, they will have the culture and commitment of the club in their heart," said Hayles.

Importantly for Harbour View, all of the team's senior players will also be on hand to give support, guaranteeing a nice balance of youth and experience.

"We will not be losing anybody, as far as I know at this point," said Hayles. "The older players are still around. The only concern that I have - and this is a pleasant concern - is that a few (players) may go off on international contracts. But for me, if this happens, then it will provide openings for other young players to come through the system."