Coaches say adjustments will be made after TG, Waterhouse draw 1-1

Following their 1-1 draw in the quarterfinals of the Wray & Nephew-sponsored Jamaica Premier League (JPL) yesterday, Marcel Gayle, head coach of Waterhouse FC, and Jerome Waite, head coach of Tivoli Gardens (TG) FC, said they have learnt a lot about their opponents heading into the second leg.

In the first of two matches at Sabina Park on the night, Javane Bryan and Lennox Russell were on target as both teams bagged a goal apiece.

Tivoli started the stronger of the two teams but it was Waterhouse who opened the scoring in the first half as Bryan converted from the spot to get his 15th goal of the season.

Tivoli continued their pressure and had the better of the chances in the second half. The team from west Kingston got their equaliser through substitute Russell.

Following a mix-up in the box, Russell was the first to react and finished unopposed into an empty net.

After the game, Gayle said the game plan was to keep Tivoli Gardens off the scoresheet going into the second leg.

He expressed his disappointment at the way his team conceded the equaliser but said it was the nature of the game.

“Kudos to my team, they stuck to the objective where possible,” he said. “It (equaliser) was disappointing but it’s a high-intensity game. We should be more responsible in the back third but unfortunately it happened.

“We definitely have to make some adjustments because after the first game, we got to see what Tivoli have to offer. There are areas that we were lacking today and we should fix that.

On the other hand, Waite rued his team’s missed opportunities but said the match was a good indicator of what to expect from Waterhouse heading into the second leg.

He said he will be making changes as the team prepares for the next match.

“Adjustments will be made,” he said. “We have one more week to prepare for this game and we’re looking forward to the players to rise above expectations. It was good to know that despite starting out a bit shaky, we picked it up late in the game.”

The second leg of the tie will be played on April 29 at Sabina Park. The winners will advance to the semifinals for a fixture against defending champions Mount Pleasant.