FALMOUTH, Trelawny

The Elliston Wakeland Centre failed an inspection by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) yesterday, throwing Digicel Premier League team Village United’s plans to play their return round game against Harbour View there on Sunday into doubt.

JFF Match Commissioner Fitzroy ‘Johnny’ Reid who carried out the inspection told the Observer West that a number of things that needed to be done were not carried out and the facility “was not ready right now to host a Premier League game.”

In addition to the “incomplete marking of the field”, Reid said the “bathroom facilities for the visiting team and for officials were inadequate”.

He added that during the inspection, the field was strewn with garbage and work on the irrigation was still visible by a line across the field where grass had not re-grown.

The news came as a surprise to Village United’s management team and Glen Lawrence who was looking forward to the team returning to their traditional home after playing away for the entire first round.

Village had played their home games at Jarrett Park in Montego Bay while irrigation work was

being carried out on the field at the facility.

A disappointed Lawrence told the Observer West they hoped to be able to sort out the problems as soon as possible but it appeared yesterday the team would have no option but to play the game against Harbour View at Jarrett Park.

“We have two weeks to rectify this as we play away to Portmore in the next round,” he said.

The passage of Tropical Storm Gustav and problems with electricity to the pumps that supplied the water to the field had caused delays to the completion of the project.