SPANISH TOWN, St Catherine — Calvert Fitzgerald, the Rivoli United coach, said he’s by no means surprised that his side has made such a positive start to the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) season.

The Spanish Town outfit, returning to the top flight after a four-year absence, are currently fifth in the 12-team league on 23 points, having won six, drawn five and lost six of their 17 games to sit one point off the top four.

But Fitzgerald said even for a promoted team their current form was expected.

“None of this is surprising to us,” the coach said. “I have been in the league before, the club has been in the league before, so we know what it takes. We have a good bunch of players, who have been together for a while and are working hard every day.”

But in a tightly bunched league, where only four points separate the top four from the bottom two, Rivoli’s points tally also means they are just three points above the relegation zone.

Fitzgerald said he’s well aware of this; that’s why “their objective” this season is not simply to maintain their status in the league, but to achieve their best possible finish.

The format of the competition, which will now see the top four teams contesting a play-off at the end of the third round, has also given the St Thomas native charges added motivation to mount a title challenge.

“If you come into the league telling yourself that you just want to avoid relegation, then you are going to be comfortable just struggling to stay up. But we told the players that we want to finish as high as possible. My mother always tells me that if I aim for the stars I might land on the moon. That’s what we are using to guide us this season,” said Fitzgerald.

Today, Fitzgerald, the former Waterhouse, Tivoli Gardens and August Town coach, takes his team to St James where they will come up against Montego Bay United.

The MoBay team has drawn six of their last seven games and will be without coach Donovan Duckie, who resigned on Wednesday afternoon via email.

Fitzgerald, though, is not prepared to take western Jamaica’s lone RSPL representative lightly, especially since they lost the corresponding first-round fixture 3-0 at the same Wespow Park venue.

“We know this is going to be a tough game,” the coach said, “because when a team changes coach they are usually very dangerous. The players always want to impress the new coach. But we are going down there with a positive frame of mind because we want something from this game.”