TUCKER, St James – Despite not having three senior members from last season’s winning team, Red Stripe Premier League champions Montego Bay United (MBU) are hoping to win their opening game for the first time since returning to the island’s top football competition, when they host promoted Maverly-Hughenden at WesPow Park on Sunday.

In five previous opening games, MBU have only managed one draw — against Reno FC in the 2014-15 season.

They lost their first three opening games after earning promotion back to the RSPL, beaten 1-2 by Tivoli Gardens at the start of the 2011-12 campaign; the next year they were beaten 1-2, this time by Harbour View to start the 2012-13 season; then they went down 0-1 to Tivoli Gardens in the 2013-14 season.

And last season, they were upset 0-2 by promoted Portmore United at the Montego Bay Sports Complex.

This Sunday MBU, who will be under the guidance of coach Dillon Thelwell and director of football Serbian Slavisa Bozicic, will be hoping to snap the losing run and beat Maverly-Hughenden, the runners-up in the Jamaica Football Federation’s Premier League play-offs at the end of last season.

MBU will be without goalkeeper Jacomeno Barrett who is away on national duties with the Reggae Boyz in their crucial CONCACAF World Cup-qualifying games; central defender Cordell Simpson, who is injured; and last year’s top striker Owayne Gordon, who is on loan to the Indy XI in the US NASL.

Meanwhile, utility player, Bahamian Lesly St Fleur, is yet to report to the training camp.

David Swaby, who made his national debut last year in the Futsal team, will get the nod in goal ahead of Romaine Bowers, as the MBU coaching staff remains quietly confident the team can retain their title this season.

At a training session on Monday, the 50-year-old Bozicic, speaking mostly through interpreter Zvezdan Doreilovic, who could also force his way into the starting team as left back, said the aim was to continue the winning tradition at MBU.

“I know the club’s history with two titles in the last three years and the goal this year is to win,” Bozicic said.

After stints in China, other parts of Asia and Europe, Bozicic will be coaching at this level for the first time. He says he is impressed by the level of talent he sees at MBU.

He is especially excited with the younger players in the squad. “MBU is a good mixture of talent and young players. When the championships start, the young players can make a big difference,” he argued.

The Serb predicted that with time, and if given a chance to play, the youngsters could “attract attention of bigger clubs from outside the island and move on to bigger things”.

He is yet to decide on his starting team for Sunday, other than Swaby in goal, but he will have most of the players from last season, with a few additions.

Striker Dino Williams is fit for the first time in two seasons after getting medical attention for a persistent groin injury, while Cory Hylton, who came into his own late last season, will be keen to pick up where he left off.

Among the four newcomers to the team are the experienced defender Al Nesbeth, who was at Cavalier SC last season, and Otis Ffriend, who played at Tivoli Gardens last year.

The skilful and highly rated midfielder Ramone Sibbles is back in the fold after a reported dispute with the management last season.