Tale of two clubs
Cavalier, Vere hunt contrasting objectives after JPL clash
It’s a tale of two cities. Not quite the Charles Dickens novel, but a true reflection of two teams in the Wray & Nephew Jamaica Premier League — Cavalier FC and Vere United — on different missions.
While Cavalier of St Andrew easily defeated Vere United of Clarendon 2-0 at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex on Sunday, the coaches have different aims, one locally, one overseas.
Cavalier’s Technical Director Rudolph Speid thought this game was a good preparation for their upcoming Concacaf Champions League match against American outfit FC Cincinnati on February 22 and 28.
Goals by Jalmaro Calvin in the 17th minute, and a 37th-minute penalty from Dwayne Atkinson propelled Cavalier to victory which saw them maintain their lead atop the league with 43 points.
It was their 13th win from 19 games and well on their way to securing a top six play-off position with seven rounds of games left.
“This was too easy in the first half and in the second half, we got a lot of goals and missed them,” Speid said. “One of our players missed about four or five. We’re just glad we kept a clean sheet again while only conceding two goals in 12 games, one being an own goal.”
“We are on a trajectory and it is something that we plan because we know what we will be up against some good attackers in the Concacaf Champions League, so we try to hone our defence.
“Our focus is away from here. We just want to see what we can get from the two games against Cincinnati.”
But while Cavalier has its eyes on an overseas assignment, Clarendon-based Vere United is fighting to make the top six play-offs sitting five spots and eight points adrift.
Vere United, which was suffering a 10th defeat, suffered a major setback in its slim hopes of making the top six play-offs. The club slipped a spot to 11th on 19 points. But Head Coach Linval Dixon, while frustrated, remained optimistic.
“I would say yes, it is just that we’re not scoring and it is haunting us,” Dixon said. “With so many talented and good players that we have, we should be scoring.
“It is possible, but I don’t know if we are hungry enough. We talk about play-offs all the time and how we want it, but word of mouth doesn’t cut it for me, action on the field counts.
“I don’t think we’re tough enough and what I am seeing is not showing me that we want to be in the top six.”
Vere United have won just five of their 19 games, scoring 18 times, but critically conceding 26 goals.
“So we have to learn and continue to learn,” Dixon said. “But the problem is we tend to learn the hard way. But such is the game. We just have to continue work and hopefully, we can score some goals and win some games.”
