MARVIN Tate knows it won’t be easy, but he has taken over the job of trying to keep Barbican FC in the Red Stripe Premier League for more than just one season.

Barbican are in last place in the 12-team league on 15 points, the same as fellow promoted team Reno FC, four points from safety, and Tate will be the third coach to guide the team in the first season at this level.

Junior Francis started the season as coach but his “sudden” departure “by mutual consent” last year saw Raymond Beckford taking over in a “transition period”, Tate told the Jamaica Observer Friday.

Tate, who has coached at this level before as far back as 1993 with Black Stars then more recently with Village United, told the Observer that he had been with the team just over a week and has taken over the coaching duties as Beckford, a FIFA Level Two certified coach, will not be able, for various reasons, to give the team his full attention.

“After going (to Barbican) and seeing the level of talent and potential there, I think it would be a good opportunity,” Tate said.

He said, “the players have a difficulty in making the transition from Super League to the Premier League, but they are not far off”.

He added that the players had the capacity to improve and this could make a difference over the remaining 15 games in the competition.

Tate argued that his team is not far off from the rest of the league in terms of quality and that even their 0-4 loss on Wednesday at home to Humble Lion did not truly reflect how well they competed.

“It will be a very, very difficult job to try and stay in the league, but it is not too far-fetched to believe it can be done,” he said.

Barbican won the Jamaica Football Federation Confederation play-offs to qualify for the Premier League for the first time ever, but have found the going tough so far. They have the least wins, three, and goals scored, 11, while conceding the most goals, 29, so far.