Relegation battle will make me a better coach - Hyde

Andre Lowe, Senior Staff Reporter

It wasn't an easy road and certainly not one that three-time Digicel Premier League-winning coach, Lenworth Hyde Sr, is used to walking.

However, in the end, the highly-respected tactician was able to pull off a last-day miracle, lifting the struggling Humble Lion out of the DPL relegation zone in grand fashion.

Hyde Sr, who took the reins of the Clarendon-based outfit last October after they had registered one point on the back of four defeats and one draw from their opening games, led them to an emphatic 7-0 victory over the already-relegated Benfica, in their last game of the season.

The result pushed them above St Georges in the standings, and guaranteed another year of top-flight football for the Lion.

important period

Having led 'brand name' teams such as Portmore United, Harbour View and Tivoli Gardens to DPL titles, Hyde Sr, recounts his time with Humble Lion as an important period of his coaching career, and a much-appreciated experience.

"This was very tense for us right throughout the season," said Hyde Sr, moments after his side survived the drop. "Being down there (relegation zone) is a different feeling than when you are at the top, but it was increased experience, and you can only learn from these types of situations.

"When you reach in certain situations, the best you can take out of it are the positives, and there were some positives which will make me a better coach," Hyde Sr added.

It's an experience that he is hoping to continue, as he believes it's most likely that himself and his assistant, Max Straw, who will be meeting with the club's hierarchy soon, will both return to the Humble Lion bench next season.

'we will be there'

"We will be meeting with the president and the club officials, and we will all decide where we take it from here. It's more than likely that we will be there, we haven't finished our job that we came here to do, and we are hoping to get that done," said Hyde Sr, who also had lots of praise for club president and Member of Parliament, Mike Henry, as well as the players.

"I have to big up the president, he was the one who initiated everything and he is a no-nonsense man. He isn't afraid to put his money where his mouth is, and he believes in professionalism and we really appreciate all that he has done. The other teams have a lot to learn in terms of how they treat their players," Hyde Sr noted.

"We always gave ourselves a chance, and were always confident that we would survive. We made the most of the opportunities that we got, we never gave up and kept fighting. The players showed character and fought to the end, and I must commend them as well."

Hyde Sr believes that his team now has the opportunity to do much better - as in winning the league - but admits that the order must now be to change the psychology of his players.

"We want to win this league, we have to put it in these players that they can win, we don't want them to think that they are just in the league to survive relegation. They have to think above that, and that's the job that we have as coaches," he said. "You have to tolerate different types of players, when you are coaching players that are used to winning it's easier."