Duckie credits players for Montego United’s good start

After three rounds of the Jamaica Premier League (JPL), Montego Bay United are surprisingly the early league leaders.

Local football observers have been praising coach Donovan Duckie for the improvements he has made to last season’s last-place finishers in such a short time.

However, the coach is adamant that the players are the ones who deserve the credit for the team’s bright start, insisting that they have not only worked hard, but are eager to learn and improve their game.

“It is all about the players. The players have been working tirelessly from preseason. They believe in the project and the philosophy of the club and the coach, and these are the things that are giving them this early success.

“I cannot say enough of how focused they are on ensuring they are doing the right things on and off the field,” he said.

“So it doesn’t matter what the teacher is teaching, it is for the students to have the ability to adapt. They are slowly adapting and learning, and it is paying dividends.”

He insists that they started the season with no expectations and are not getting overly excited as this is just the groundwork for a three-year plan.

“We have a far way to go. This is just the beginning of what we are trying to do. Things we have itemised and trying to get across to them have not yet been done.

“We are happy with what we are doing, but this is early days. It is not time to celebrate.

“But we are giving thanks and humbled by what we have achieved so far,” he continued.

CURRENT SQUAD

He pointed out that 85 per cent of the players from last year’s team make up the current squad, and the focus is not on results but getting the small details right.

“We did not set any objectives in terms of what we wanted to achieve for the first half of the season or the first round or this year.

“Maybe in the second round or at the end of the second round we can consider making some decisions in terms of where we want to go or where we want to finish,”Duckie said.

Montego Bay drew their opening match with Portmore before scoring successive wins over Waterhouse and Molynes United.

They lead the table with seven points, one more than Cavalier, Harbour View, and Arnett Gardens. Duckie admits that the extra attention will make life a bit tougher going forward but accepts that it comes with the territory.

“If you want to be the best, you have to compete against the best. The only way you can be the best is if you are facing high-level competition.

“So we try to practise with a high level of competitiveness, to prepare for what we will face week in week out. So this can be good for the development of the players,” he stated.

He added that there is no pressure nor is it a priority to remain at the top of league.

“It is no pressure for the group because we have surprised ourselves. If we are there or we are not there, it is no pressure.

“We are trying to learn the game and get all the actions correct in the different phases of the game. After each game we will do a reflection and try to give a better performance each time. But I’m not worried about being at the top of the table,” he said.

Duckie has an outstanding track record of building teams from scratch and putting them on a solid foundation.

In 2005, he took St George’s of Portland, a parish with only a brief top-flight history, and established the club in the league for three seasons. The club declined rapidly after he left for Portmore.

In 2013 he built the Montego Bay United team, which went on to win two national titles. He departed midway his first season.

During his time at Humble Lion from 2015-17, he transformed the Clarendon side from a mid-table club to true title contenders.

In one season at Waterhouse he took a team that was struggling in the lower half of the standings to the 2017-18 final.

In the 2021 truncated season, he took a Vere team that finished at the bottom of the league the previous year, and only avoided relegation because the season was cancelled, to the brink of quarterfinal qualification.

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com