Two years ago, this newspaper had reason to hail Montego Bay United football club for providing what we described then as a blueprint for Jamaica’s football.

That the club won the 2014 Red Stripe Premier League title in a superb and stylish display, defeating Waterhouse FC 5-2 at the National Stadium, drew plenty of applause.

But also, the MoBay club showed what could be accomplished by seeking to pool human and material resources as well as community support. Readers will recall that Montego Bay United had sometime before that made the bold step to change its image from Seba United, representing specific communities, to one that sought to reflect and represent all in the western city.

Their wonderful triumph in the National Stadium that night, two years ago, helped considerably in the quest to gain acceptance from the sceptics in the tourist capital.

This newspaper was particularly pleased because, by their success that night, Montego Bay United had demonstrated the value of what was perceived at the time to be a professional approach to football.

We regret that two years on, Montego Bay United and its president, Mr Orville Powell seem intent on a most backward step. We refer, of course, to Mr Powell’s insistence that his club will not turn up for a 4:00 pm start of the 2016 Red Stripe Premier League final at the Montego Bay Sports Complex at Catherine Hall, Montego Bay, tomorrow.

As we understand it, Mr Powell wants the game to be played in the evening, after sunset, to maximise home support. He points to the failure of the organisers, Professional Football Association of Jamaica (PFAJ), to consult with Montego Bay United regarding arriving at a game time as reflecting a lack of “respect”.

The executive of the PFAJ has made it clear that the decision to play the game at 4:00 pm on Sunday was taken as a nod to the sponsors, the commercial partners who, for publicity reasons, prefer an afternoon game.

For those of us looking on from the outside, Mr Powell’s continued intransigence, given all the circumstances, is bewildering. What could he and Montego Bay United possibly hope to gain by forfeiting their right to be in the final on Sunday?

Should Montego Bay United carry out their threat to not make themselves available for a 4:00 pm start on Sunday, the club, players, football in Montego Bay and the wider Jamaica will have suffered grave harm. To what end? Mr Powell and his supporters will surely be hard-pressed to provide logical answers.

Our hope is that it is not too late and that good sense will prevail. Wise heads in and around Montego Bay United should come together and ensure that their team turns up on time for Sunday’s final on their home turf, determined to delight their fans and all football lovers, much as they did two years ago in Kingston.