Recently appointed Waterhouse FC coach Paul Young says his team still has a chance of making the semi-finals of the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL), despite a wretched run so far this season.

Waterhouse, the former national football champions, are last in the 12-team standing with 15 points from 18 games.

For the St Andrew-based club it is a stunning downward spiral after being a finalist in the 2013-14 campaign and reaching the top four last season.

Young, is optimistic of a revival despite Waterhouse’s recent struggles.

“Nobody is running away from the pack so it’s quite realistic to get into the top four,” he told the Jamaica Observer last Thursday.

Montego Bay United (34 points), Portmore United (34), defending champions Arnett Gardens FC (32) and Humble Lion FC (28) presently occupy the top four positions.

“The problem [for Waterhouse] was indiscipline, a lack of commitment toward training, and a lack of respect for the game.

“The players are now coming to training and arriving 15 minutes before time, so I believe it has dawned on them that they need to step up. Right now they are working really hard,” Young said.

He is Waterhouse’s third coach this season after Calvert Fitzgerald and later Anthony Patrick were unable to get them rolling in the right direction.

A one-time Reggae Boyz forward, Young previously coached Waterhouse for about three months in 2009.

His current stint at the club has seen him open with two drawn results. The first game ended 2-2 against Tivoli Gardens FC before Kenroy Howell’s treble earned them another point in a 4-4 finish against Cavalier SC.

He believes inconsistent form from the teams at the top could work in Waterhouse’s favour.

“We need to get a couple wins and see where that takes us. Everybody is beating everybody at the top. This week Portmore might win, then next week they lose. MoBay might win, then they lose and stuff like that… and it’s very competitive,” Young said.

Though the start to the 2015-16 RSPL season has seen them win only three games while losing nine times, the Waterhouse coach said the team spirit is positive.

“The morale of the team is good, despite the fact that we should have won the last game and we tied. The training sessions have been excellent, so it’s one of those things.

“The team is showing character because we had trouble scoring and now we are scoring even when we are behind. We just have to stop conceding goals. When we fix that we are going to be okay,” said the former marksman.

“We are trying to instill a certain amount of discipline and commitment to the programme and to the club. It’s not going to happen overnight and some of these games we are playing is part of the learning process,” added Young.

Waterhouse’s next game is against major rivals Arnett Gardens at Drewsland Stadium on January 3.