The return to the football pitch after eight months of inactivity didn’t go exactly as planned for Waterhouse FC, as they tumbled out of the Scotiabank Concacaf League round of 16 following a 1-3 loss to Haitian champions Arcahaie FC on Thursday night.

Arcahaie led 2-0 at the half-time break and added a third on the hour to all but end the game as a contest, before Waterhouse pulled a goal back with nine minutes to play. That strike proved to be a mere consolation as the lone Jamaican team left in the competition were eliminated on home soil.

But the Jamaicans were always behind the eight-ball, going up against a team that was actively participating in a competition at home.

The ring rust showed on the Waterhouse team who ended up chasing the game all night and are now left to ponder what could have been, for yet another season.

Head Coach Marcel Gayle refused to feel down because of the loss and is already looking to make the most of the positives that he took from the game.

He did, however, admit that his team had far from ample preparation for the contest.

“Lack of games… we didn’t have enough games to play to prepare, so we weren’t match sharp,” he said after the game.

“I think that caught us. We didn’t get enough time to prepare, but credit to Arcahaie [as] they did what they had to do to win the game.

“There are some factors that we couldn’t go around, like the time for preparation and the weather before the game and the players who came in to get that chemistry and to get that togetherness. It wasn’t enough time. We are still grateful there were some positive signs, we just have to keep our heads up and come again,” said the Waterhouse tactician.

Gayle was full of praises for his players for their efforts despite the score line.

“I’m very proud of them. I am always proud of them, but unfortunately, we gave up two early goals in the game and it took us a while to get our foot in. When we did get our foot in the game, we started to create a lot of opportunities, but unfortunately the result didn’t go our way,” he noted.

Gayle is hoping that the fact that the game was played in Jamaica will be the catalyst needed for the sport to return fully across the country even as Waterhouse regroup for a possible return of the Premier League.

“Hopefully, we are on the move now, we have gotten a taste of what football is like now. Several months now we did not play any football…we are going to use this experience, go back to the drawing board and come again,” he said.

Waterhouse team Captain Shawn Lawes said that their opponents clearly wanted it more, but hoped that the game would provide a much needed springboard for the team.

“It was always [going to be] an uphill task, but no excuses. I think they wanted it more and they were first to every ball, first to every second ball and that ensured that the result ended up that way.

“To get in 90 minutes under our belts after eight months, we can take that as a plus. We haven’t played any football since March, so we have a lot we can build on and we have a platform that we can now work from. So it’s just to get back to the drawing board, refocus and come again,” he shared.

It is still left to be seen if the Ministry of Health and Wellness will give the go ahead for the resumption of football on the island with the Jamaica Football Federation already setting tentative start dates of the Premier League in November and December.