Marcel Gayle of University of the West Indies (UWI), who was voted Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) Coach of the Year, has high praises for the back room staff that helped him along the way.

Gayle, 37, took UWI from Super League football to the brink of semi-final play-off in the Premier League in their first season of top-flight football.

“All kudos must go to the management staff and the players. We stayed together, dug and fought and worked hard,” Gayle told the

Jamaica Observer moments after copping the award at the Courtleigh Auditorium, last Thursday.

“I am really ecstatic. The coaching has been phenomenal this season. It wasn’t just a one-man support, my staff backed me and I am so excited words can’t tell,” said Gayle.

Gayle, who said he has been coaching for 17 years, mostly as assistant coach at Waterhouse FC, Norman Manley High and St George’s College, said the award came as a surprise to him.

“I never expected this trophy… just my name mentioned amongst these great coaches in the league and my first year in the league as head coach of UWI is really a tremendous feeling,” he reiterated.

Gayle led UWI to fifth spot in the RSPL with 49 points after starting the season as one of the favourites to be relegated. They finished just one point behind fourth-placed Humble Lion FC, who took the last available semi-final spot.

UWI started the season losing their first three games, but recovered to prove they belong in top-flight football.

They lost 0-3 to then champions Arnett Gardens FC, before suffering a 0-3 whipping at the hands of eventual champions Montego Bay United. A 0-1 loss to Rivoli United followed, and many thought they were out of their depth. But once they tasted victory for the first time with a 1-0 win over Portmore United, they kept on improving.

UWI won 13 of their 33 games, losing 10 times and drawing on 10 occasions, while scoring 39 times and conceding 41.

“I am not disappointed, but pleased to see the turn around in the season. I am happy to be in the top six and we came fifth,” said Gayle about missing out on a semi-final berth.

“It was a great journey. It wasn’t a smooth ride, it was like a roller-coaster ride for us. But we stood the course and we just want to give God thanks,” he noted.

Gayle, known as ‘Fuzzy’, is aware his club will not have the surprise factor to benefit from come next season.

“I was thinking about it already,” he said with a broad smile. “We cannot hide our hands anymore. We just have to come out and play from minute one to minute 90,” he added.

He continued: “But this is the road and if you want to be the best or if you want to stay in the league, you have to play the best. So it’s a challenge and we will have to take every game as it comes”.

Gayle thanked every coach that assisted in his development, but made special mention of Geoffrey Maxwell, as well as his mentor Neville Bell.

“It’s a career and a journey, I am here enjoying what I love the most,” said Gayle.

“The record will show and I will just have to take it strength by strength and remain humble and head for the sky. The sky’s the limit for me and I just hope to keep on sdoing what I am doing,” he added.