Bailey sees a lot of positives

National striker Leon Bailey says he has a very important role to play in this rebuilding phase of the Reggae Boyz and he is very excited about the crop of players that have been selected for the final three matches of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

The Jamaicans, who are out of contention for the spot at this year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar, played to a 1-1 draw at home against El Salvador on Thursday.

Bailey, who plies his trade for Aston Villa in the English Premier League, played the full 90 minutes of the match after missing the Reggae Boyz’s previous three games due to injury.

“I felt good out there because I haven’t played 90 minutes in a long time, but I feel that there is much more room for improvement,” said Bailey.

“It is quite evident that I have an important role to play,” he said. “But I feel good, I felt sharp and comfortable and ready to go again.”

The 24-year-old stated that he likes the direction that the team is heading in, especially the decision by head coach Paul Hall to insert a lot more local-based players into the team.

“I think it is about time that we make a change. We haven’t made it to the World Cup but tonight (Thursday) we showed a lot of positives and how we need to develop and move forward,” Bailey said.

“I think tonight we showed that we are a good team and we can play football. We need to build on this going forward,” he said.

The Reggae Boyz outplayed their opponents for most of the game but they squandered a number of clear-cut chances.

Bailey underscored that he is very happy about the camaraderie in the team because they were all on the same page and they all enjoyed the game against the El Salvadorians.

“Tonight (we) showed a lot of character, a lot of willingness to learn and no egos and everybody was enjoying themselves and that’s what it should be about,” he said.

“I am happy that things have changed a little bit and everybody is willing to listen and learn going forward and enjoy the game,” Bailey said.