RUDOLPH Speid, the head coach of Cavalier SC, says the youthfulness in his team will be a major advantage as they look to reach the semi-final stage of the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) this season.

And he plans to do that despite losing his most consistent goalscorer, Girvon Brown, who has left for newly promoted University of the West Indies FC.

But Cavalier is blessed by the return of midfielder Ryan Miller, who was in an academy set-up in Philadelphia, United States for a year. Furthermore, in comes former national youth defender Shawn Lawes who parted ways with relegated Barbican FC.

According to Speid, other young players, such as Chevone Marsh and Oshane Jenkins have become seasoned participants in the RSPL.

“Our strength lies in the fact that our team average age is about 22 (years old) and our oldest player is 28. Another thing is that young players like Chevone Marsh and Oshane Jenkins will be playing their fourth year of the premier league,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

“I think the team is stronger and we should be doing much better than we did last year. Girvon Brown is the man who has been scoring like 10 goals for us every year, so he’s really a big loss, I must admit,” continued Speid, also the president of the club.

In the previous campaign, Cavalier were fast starters and led the points standing in the early goings before a capitulation in the second phase of the preliminary round derailed their title challenge.

Not even a good surge in the third and final round could haul them back on track. They ended the campaign in seventh position.

Speid, who retains Lamar Morgan and Toni Cowan as his assistants, said injury to key players and the drafting of Marsh and Jenkins into the national Under-23 set-up were to be blamed for that crippling rut.

Now he insists that things are different.

“Last season, we were leading the first round and then we fell down in the second. By the time we came around in the third round, it was just too much work. I’m very encouraged because then the squad wasn’t so deep and there was inexperience, but this year the squad is much deeper. This year the squad is more balanced and if we are to replace players, we would not lose a lot,” he said.

Cavalier’s only hold on the national club title was in the 1980-81 season.

–Sanjay Myers