NEWLY promoted UWI FC are still revelling in their 1-0 win over Portmore United in the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL), which they believe confirmed they belong in the nation’s top-flight competition.

But while the Marcel Gayle-coached team celebrate their first three points of the season in a hard-fought encounter against the previous leaders in the battle of the promoted teams, they remain wary of the task ahead in the 33-game-long season.

UWI FC had earlier suffered three consecutive defeats as they went down 0-3 to champions Arnett Gardens and Montego Bay United, respectively, and 0-1 to Rivoli United, which had left them rooted at the bottom of the 12-team standings without a point.

Despite the previous scorelines, the team performed above expectations in all three encounters and exhibited a level of football competence, but lacked composure in front of goal.

However, the relentless pursuit of their first goal and by extension their first win, became a thing of the past on Sunday, when Kemar Cummings’ all-important strike in the 87th minute of the game brought relief to the team and their fans.

The famous, if not historic win, propelled them to ninth position in the standings and out of the relegation zone, which is currently occupied by Boys’ Town FC (two points) and Waterhouse FC (one point).

Cummings, in a post-match interview at the UWI Mona Bowl on Sunday, was overwhelmed by his goal and his team’s first win.

“I have been working hard all week and the hard work has now paid off. When I saw the ball in the back of the net, I can’t even explain the feeling… it’s just joy, pure joy,” he told reporters.

Assistant coach Andrew Peart chose not to celebrate too early, but preferred to put the critical variables in perspective.

“We had some close misses in previous games, but we stuck to the belief that we can compete. We deserve to be here and we showed that today (Sunday) against Portmore United,” he noted.

“It doesn’t get easier; there are no easy games in the league, but what we have to realise is that we can’t think of ourselves as equals to the other teams in the league, so we just have to stay humble…. we have to continue working hard and improve on the things that have brought us here,” he added.

Meanwhile, Vice-captain Nicholas McMorris echoed the sentiments.

“In the qualifiers to come to the Premier League, Portmore didn’t beat us, so we had some confidence even though they have won three games. I didn’t think we started badly… we were in the game early and we stuck to the task and got the win.

“We celebrate today and the fans are happy, but we know come tomorrow, it is back to work again. But the vibes will be good in the camp; I think our start is improving, and once we continue working and gelling as a team, I think we will get better,” he added.

— Sherdon Cowan