Marlon King, it seems, has returned to Jamaica’s football outfit fired up and ready for business after one year out of action at this level, part of it self-imposed.

The striker, lured out of international retirement by a desperate nation, told reporters on his arrival in the island on Monday that he wants to put his ugly past with the Reggae Boyz behind him and get on with the mission of rescuing Jamaica’s fading Brazil 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign.

“What has gone on in the past is in the past and there is no point discussing what has gone on. It’s time to move forward now because negativity just takes up too much time and energy, and I think we need to be positive and try and move forward,” said King.

The former Birmingham City striker, who picked up a two-match suspension for breaching the team’s disciplinary code during a friendly match in Panama last year May, coincidentally, the place where he’s set to make his return, later quit the national team out of frustration after being ignored by the Theodore Whitmore-led coaching staff consequent to serving his ban.

“I was asked to come out of retirement and it’s a new set-up now and we are trying to move forward and have a chance to qualify for the World Cup in 2014,” said the sometimes controversial striker.

King, 33, has scored 12 goals in 22 appearances for the Boyz, and many pundits argue that his quality and experience was missing during Jamaica’s matches in the hexagonal stage of the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying tournament where the Boyz have scored only two goals and have let in all of eight. For that, they have only two points to show at the bottom of the six-nation play-offs.

With their back against the wall and the World Cup dream dissipating, Jamaica must get into a scoring mentality when they face Panama away today, and next Tuesday against Costa Rica at the National Stadium.

King has proved his ability to score in high-level international competition and fingers will no doubt be held crossed in faith and hope that the enigmatic striker and company will deliver the goods with the two upcoming matches in the first instance.

In 2004, King was instrumental in Jamaica’s unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the 2006 World Cup where he scored six goals in eight matches.

The striker, born in England, is strong around the opposing 18-yard box — he has a good first touch, shields the ball well and is particularly dangerous with his back to the goal or when he dribbles across it.

— SW

KING… has scored 12 goals in 22 appearances for the Boyz