2 weeks ago
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REGGAE GIRLZ head coach Hubert Busby Jr says their 4-1 win against Trinidad and Tobago yesterday took on special meaning as they hoped to bring some joy back to the island, which is grappling with the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.
Jamaica defeated Trinidad at the Ato Boldon Stadium with a brace from Jody Brown, alongside goals from Natasha Thomas and debutant Tianna Harris.
Ahead of the game, Busby said he hoped their performance could bring some joy to Jamaican fans who were braving the passage of Hurricane Melissa.
“We speak about in our meetings about what football does, how it brings people together and what it means to people around the world. In this particular case, for us, its huge because we can bring some joy,” Busby said.
In his post-match interview, the Reggae Boyz boss said his team had done just that, despite their growing concerns surrounding their friends and families back home.
“First and foremost, I want to take this opportunity to let the people back home in Jamaica know our thoughts and prayers are with them. Stay safe and stay strong,” he said.
“This game is really about, and we spoke about it before, making sure we can go out there at the end of this game and give something, to not just submit to the Jamaicans on the island, but Jamaicans worldwide, who are going through a lot right now.”
He continued, “Credit to the players who, and all of us really, who are impacted by what’s going on at home.”
Jamaica took the lead in the 11th minute through a strike from Brown, but were pegged level two minutes later when Nikita Gosine equalised for the hosts.
The Girlz dominated the second half, scoring three unanswered goals to run away with the win.
Thomas scored her first goal in national colours in the 52nd with a low-driven shot before Harris scored on her debut, heading home in the 67th minute.
Brown completed the brace in the closing minutes, finding herself in the right place at the right time to finish off Alyssa Van Zanten’s blocked effort.
Busby was pleased with the performance at the final whistle, but said he had seen a lot of areas to improve on ahead of the Concacaf W Qualifiers.
He said the fixture against Trinidad was chosen as the perfect test, as they knew the twin-island republic would put up a strong fight.
“There is no friendly matches when these two countries get together, and we knew it was going to be a tough match against a well-coached team,” he said.
“I thought we were a little bit wasteful in front of goal, to be honest. We always talk about how goals change games, and I think, early on, we should have put some of those chances away.
“But with that said, they responded really well, made a couple adjustments at half-time, spoke about things we needed to improve on, and then credit to the players who went out there and executed accordingly.”
Jamaica’s next assignment will be the W Qualifiers, where they are drawn in Group B alongside Guyana, Nicaragua, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda.
Jamaica will kick-start their campaign against Dominica on November 29 in an away fixture.
Busby said until then, the players will continue their development with their individual clubs and schools.
“We’ve started those preparations already and we want to make sure, as I’ve said to the players, to stay healthy, continue to push themselves in their environments, whether it be in school or their professional clubs.
He added, “Then, in a couple weeks, we’ll reconvene again and get ready to play Dominica.”
English (US) ·