THE MUCH-awaited clash between Caribbean Cup champions Jamaica and Guyana’s Golden Jaguars will take place this eveinhg at the Leonora Stadium, beginning at 20:00hrs.While both coaches were conservative in making any predictions as to the outcome, they promised a game of quality.
At a Guyana Football Federation’s press briefing yesterday at the Signature Inn in Queenstown, head coach of the Reggae Boyz, Theodore ‘Tappa’ Whitmore told the media that the passage of hurricane Matthew prevented his squad from having any training session.
The former original Reggae Boyz player said he was “looking forward to a good and competitive game’. Whitmore who was just named interim head coach for the 3rd round games, added that the commitment and experience of the players would be key to the team’s success.

“It’s a very difficult situation. We did not get a chance to put in a decent training session so we have to focus more on the experience of the players. Their commitment is going to play a great role. We know that Guyana lost to Suriname so they would want to get something out of the game. We just have to remain positive and get something out of the game,” Whitmore stated.
His counterpart, Jamal Shabazz also wants his charges to be positive. “We are desperate to get a positive result because we want to remain in the competition and this game provides a slight opportunity for us. We now have got to forget about the reputation of Jamaica and think positive, think like hosts. They come to our doorsteps and we have got to approach it with the courage and confidence that is necessary.
“For us, we have taken away the pressure from ourselves because we are very focused on wanting to give of our best,” the Trinbagonian said.
Shabazz hinted that there might be a few changes to the starting line-up and declared that ‘where we lack in fitness or match-readiness, I think we’ll make up in enthusiasm.’
Golden Jaguars captain Christopher Nurse implored the fans to come out and support the team as it could be motivation for the team to perform better.

“It is important for the public to know that getting behind the team can give them that extra energy, especially home here in Guyana. The players always find a little extra boost, regardless of the fitness level. And the fans play a key role in giving them that extra motivation,” Nurse revealed.
Captain of the Reggae Boyz, Jevaughn Watson was expressively confident in his brief remarks. “It’s going to be a quality game because they have very good players and they are going to come out and put their best foot forward; so we are going to do the same.
“We like competitive games and we are here to win a game. It’s not going to be easy because they are a good team. At the end of the day we intend to come away with 3 points.”