Only pride left for relegated Treasure Beach

HAVING ALREADY had their relegation confirmed, head coach Victor Ebanks says Treasure Beach FC will be playing for pride as they prepare for their final game of the Wray & Nephew-sponsored Jamaica Premier League (JPL).

Treasure Beach played out a nil-all draw with Vere United in their penultimate match.

While the St Elizabeth-based team was able to create multiple chances to find the winner against Vere, they lacked the decisive touch in front of goal.

Ebanks was pleased with the performance but felt his team’s lack of motivation due to their relegation was the reason they could not find the go-ahead goal.

“First half was really good and I’m really proud of them,” he said.

“Tactically, we stuck to the system. I think fatigue and coming down to the end of season, you need that drive and that motivation to say ‘Let’s dig a little deeper’. But as we are right now, that drive is a little scarce.”

Treasure Beach have only one game left before they say goodbye to the JPL, a difficult fixture at home to play off-bound Arnett Gardens.

Treasure Beach will be hoping that at the end of their final 90 minutes this season, the team can leave with their pride intact.

Ebanks, who took the reins of Treasure Beach following the resignation of Omar ‘Rambo’ Wedderburn, said there were many reasons Treasure Beach failed to maintain their place in the JPL.

“Definitely, that’s where we are right now, just trying to maintain a certain level of dignity as we exit the league. So yeah, we’re playing for pride for sure,” he said. “But that’s a hard one to really put a finger on. There’s a number of things that you could say were the reasons and if I were to pinpoint just one thing, then I would be unfair, so it’s really a number of things.”

Treasure Beach made history when they achieved promotion to the JPL this season, becoming the first team from St Elizabeth to play in the nation’s top flight in more than 40 years.

Despite only lasting a season, Ebanks said the team will be aiming to make a quick return to the JPL. He admitted however it will not be easy as they anticipate losing several of their key players.

“Definitely, that’s the intention and that’s our plan, to be here again. Regardless, we’re going to go for the players that have the right attitude and want to be a part of this setup. Technically and tactically, we can always improve but we want players with the right attitude. So that is one of the main things that we’re going to be screening when we’re looking to keep our main players.”

Treasure Beach sit 13th in the league, with 13 points after 25 games. They sit just above fellow relegated outfit Lime Hall Academy, who are rooted at the foot of the table with eight points.