Highgate's high hopes

Orane Hart, Gleaner Intern

Coach of Highgate, Calvin Lewis, expressed "feeling great" after his team booked their place in next season's Premier League, following a 2-0 win over Cavalier this past Wednesday at the St Mary Sports Club (formerly Gray's Inn).

As the hangover of qualifying for the Premier League subsides, Lewis says the focus now shifts to the club's first taste of the nation's top division and his team has high hopes.

"Of course, it's a great feeling (making it to the Premier League), but we have to remain humble and think about next season, where we (Highgate) hope to become a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League," Lewis said.

Lewis acknowledges that this now represents a transition phase for his team and he will have to think about adding new faces to bolster his squad.

NEW PLAYERS

"We will definitely need to carefully and properly scout for new players with experience and the know-how of the Premier League, players that will fit our system of play, and we will also have to think about things like salary caps and so forth," he said. "We will have to look very wide to find these types of players."

Players within the team, such as Roen Nelson, Anthowne Dawkins, Leighton Murray, Loxley Thomas and Mark Newsome, all possess Premier League experience, which helped the St Mary team to qualify in first place.

"We will have to sharpen our negotiation skills in order to get the type of players we want. We will need to clearly outline our vision and show them where the team is headed and hope that they subscribe to this vision," Lewis stated.

Qualifying for the highest division of national football certainly means a great deal to Lewis, the Highgate team and, by extension, football in the Eastern Confederation.

"The win versus Cavalier was truly one of the greatest moments the community has experienced, because it meant that we achieved the goal that we set out to do this season, and it should provide a lift for eastern football, seeing that St Georges Sports Club (of Portland) got relegated this season from the Premier League."

Lewis added: "You could see that it means a lot to the fans who were dancing in the rain and celebrating up to one (o' clock) in the morning. And it really showed the players, especially, that with hard work, anything is possible."