Debutants Tru-Juice remaining calm despite table-topping JPL start

DESPITE Tru-Juice FC’s strong start to their debut Jamaica Premier League (JPL) season, Assistant Coach Craig Richards says it’s too early to be thinking about the play-offs.

The newly promoted club lead the JPL stadings on seven points after a 1-0 win over Molynes United at Stadium East on Sunday. Striker Daniel Roberts’s 62nd-minute strike was enough as Tru-Juice stay unbeaten after their first three games. They also join Montego Bay United and Waterhouse as the only two clubs who have yet to concede. Richards says he was pleased with the team’s execution, after nearly a week of preparation. “We knew that it was going to be a tough-fought game. We know how the Molynes team plays and we’ve been training all week to nullify them — and we also worked on ways to hurt them and it paid dividends,” he said. “When we play against certain teams, we really assess them and train accordingly, so I’m very pleased. There are parts of the game that I’m disappointed with but there are aspects that I’m very pleased [about], and that’s football. I’m pleased we got three points on the board, and we look forward to the next game.” Tru-Juice have attracted several top players to join their inaugural season, including Reggae Boyz Alex Marshall, Gadail Irving, and Tafari Chambers. The Linstead based-club caught the eyes of many during their opening game when they thrashed reigning Caribbean Cup champions Mount Pleasant FA 4-0 and held last season’s semi-finalists, Montego Bay United, to a goalless draw. Although starting on a positive note, Richards says they’re not placing too much pressure on themselves. “Our objective is to play quality football and maximise on the points and [see] wherever that leads us,” he said. “Our aim is to compete. And competing can lead us to good places but as it relates to [the] objective [of] top six or whatever, if that should come then we are very welcoming for that but for now we’re taking it three games at a time. “This is our first season. There are quite a number of teams that have been competing in this competition for some time so they have some experience. While we have experienced players, the club itself is in its first season so we continue to set different objectives at different points of the season, and we’ll see where that leads us.” Mount Pleasant Head Coach Theodore Whitmore was pleased his team got off the mark after their 2-0 win over Dunbeholden at the Dunbeholden Sports Complex.

Tru-Juice Assistant Coach Craig Richards.

After losing their first two games of the season, goals from Trayvone Reid and Nicholas Nelson ensured the St Ann-based club picked up all three points. “It doesn’t feel like three, it feels like six points,” Whitmore said. “I think we would have met our objective when we got two goals this afternoon; we didn’t concede, we kept a clean sheet, so I think it’s something that we can build on. “When you look at the table and see Mount Peasant at the foot, nobody expects that. It wasn’t pleasing even for the fans that travel with us every Sunday, so it’s very pleasing [to beat Dunbeholden]. We look forward to the next one; and it gives us now a momentum going into the next game and into the semi-final of the Caribbean Cup.” Sunday’s results Molynes 0, Tru-Juice 1 Dunbeholden 0, Mount Pleasant 2 Portmore United 4, Humble Lion 1 Cavalier 3, Arnett Gardens 2 Racing United 0, Mobay United 1 Waterhouse 2, Treasure Beach 0 Tivoli 1, Phoenix Chapelton 1