“We’ve achieved by qualifying for the Concacaf Champions League (preliminary round),” said San Juan Jabloteh head coach Terry Fenwick despite his team’s failure to capture the 2010 CFU Club Champion Cup.
“We’re operating in a similar situation like that of English club Portsmouth,” he said. “We have a little budget, and we´ve qualified for the next stage which is the Champions League preliminary round which is great because we could give our players more exposure and probably sell one or two.”
Jabloteh finished the CFU tournament with 3 points in third position, ahead of Bayamon FC based on goal difference to advance into the 2010-2011 Concacaf Champions League preliminary round following a 1-0 defeat against fellow Pro League club Joe Public (Wednesday), a 4-1 victory over Bayamon (Friday), and a 1-0 loss against eventual champions Puerto Rico Islanders on Sunday.
But, a victory over Islanders at the Marvin Lee Stadium could have boosted Jabloteh to the top to take the CFU title as Joe Public—another contender—fell 3-1 against Bayamon.
“It´s disappointing not to win the title,” he continued. “However we are pleased with our performances, and reaching the next stage."
“Islanders have a much stronger mentality than that of the guys in Trinidad. They don’t let anything get to them. Their professionalism is very good and unlike the guys in this region who only want to play the game like that of Brazil, Islanders play a very straightforward game. They are not about the glamour and I thought they just cancelled us out."
“We didn’t play badly throughout the tournament. Islanders only had about three chances against us, one of which they scored. We had more half chances but didn’t convert. I think we were a bit intimidated in the first half but had a much better game in the second period."
“Against Joe Public, I thought we were the better team. We outplayed them and their top players Kerry Baptiste and Trent Noel didn’t have any kicks at us. And the player (Radanfah Abu Bakr) that scored against us was supposed to be on suspension. And what says a lot about our performances is the fact that the team (Bayamon FC) we defeated 4-1, went on to defeat Joe Public 3-1.”
Fenwick admitted the CFU Final Round clashes was really tight contests having to play three games in five days.
He also explained that his team lacked a centre forward throughout the competition. The former England international said he didn’t want to risk striker Jerrol Forbes--who has been recovering from a knee injury over the past year--on the Astroturf at the Marvin Lee Stadium in the Final Round of the CFU Club Championship despite the player´s readiness to play.
Instead Fenwick used an attacking midfield inclusive of Kennedy Hinkson, Jason Marcano, Ronaldo Viana, Ataullah Guerra and Marvin Oliver. Willis Plaza and speedy midfielder Johan Peltier were also used in the Final Round.
King sees need for improvement following CFU performance.
Bmobile Joe Public head coach Derek King says he is aware that his side needs to improve mentally and physically ahead of the Concacaf Champions League stage.
Speaking on his team’s runners-up finish in the recently concluded CFU Club Championship, the Joe Public coach said, “We are now aware that we have to be mentally and physically stronger for the CONCACAF stage.”
“That level will be a much bigger stage than the (Digicel Pro) League and CFU Club Championship. Our entire technical staff met this week and assessed our performances in the CFU tournament and we are already working on preparing mentally and physically,” he continued.
The draw for the 2010-2011 Concacaf Champions League preliminary round is carded for May 25 in which CFU champions Puerto Rico Islanders, runners-up Joe Public and third placed finisher San Juan Jabloteh are part of.
Islanders finished the CFU final round with seven points, while Joe Public who needed to win by four goals in the final match against Bayamon FC finished second with 4 points, Jabloteh placed third with 3 points ahead of Bayamon based on goal difference.
Joe Public suffered a 3-1 defeat against Bayamon to squash their chances of lifting the regional title.
“It had a good and a bad about it,” said King over his side’s performances. “We qualified for the Concacaf stage but it was sad to see that we didn’t win the CFU title. We had a couple injuries in the final game (against Bayamon) in key players Trent Noel and Kerry Baptiste, plus we needed to win by four goals.
“We had good performances in our first two matches, and we see it as a good stepping stone for the players and staff knowing where we are moving into the Concacaf stage,” he said.
King also expressed the need to do more signings prior to the Concacaf Champions League.
The 2009 five title winning coach said that he’s not just looking at numbers, but more so, quality. One player currently on the mind of King, is former Caledonia AIA and Guyanese international forward Dwight Peters.
“We have opened talks about Peters. He is a good player and will fit in our system. We’re not just looking to sign players for numbers. We need two or three quality players. The doors are always opened but again, we are looking for quality,” ended King.