Tivoli confident of going all the way

Ryon Jones, Gleaner Writer

With the third round of the country's top football competition, the Digicel Premier League, set to commence on Sunday with a full slate of games, teams have been using the Christmas break to make the required adjustments in an effort to consolidate their positions, make a push for the title or pull themselves out of the relegation zone.

Despite sitting at the helm of the 12-team table, Tivoli Gardens must have been grateful for the festive break as they had hit a rough spot which saw them go four games without recording a win.

Tivoli's head coach, Alvin Shaw, believes the team's greatest downfall has been in the goalscoring department.

"We had expected more goals from the strikers, and we have been talking a lot about that recently," Shaw highlighted. "We, the coaches, have been helping them in the goalscoring area a lot in training, but it is still a concern of ours. Considering the quality players that we have, we were expecting more goals.

"We have identified some of the reasons why the goals are not coming, but it is something that we will keep internal," he added.

Shaw is also of the view that the slump that his team hit at the end of the second round is as a direct result of poor finishing.

"We played well in the last four games, but it is just that we were not putting away our chances; so I would blame poor finishing for the way we ended the second round."

Tivoli (38 points) currently hold a two-point lead over second-placed Portmore United and Shaw is confident that they will be able to go all the way.

"We are very focused and confident that we are going to go all the way," Shaw stated. "It would be disappointing if we do not end up the winners, based on how we have started and the effort we have put in," he added.