WHITEHOUSE, Westmoreland — After finally conquering the west, Aaron Lawrence and the Sandals South Coast team are looking ahead to qualifying for the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) at their first try when the Jamaica Football Federation Confederation Play-offs kick off in two weeks on June 14.

Sandals South Coast outscored Montego Bay Boys Club 4-3 in the Western Confederation Charley’s JB Rum Super League final at Jarrett Park on May 7, three weeks ago, and will join the other three Super League champions in the home-and-away play-offs that will decide which two teams will replace Jamalco FC and Maverley-Hughenden in the RSPL when the 2017-18 season kicks off later this year.At a celebration dinner held in their honour at the Sandals South Coast in Whitehouse, Westmorland, last week, Lawrence told the

Jamaica Observer that while he was aware that the task will be difficult, he was confident the team will be up to the task.“The hard work started already… tonight was just a little break for the players to celebrate and to re-energise. we have not lost focus, we keep looking towards the big picture,” said the former Jamaica goalkeeper and captain.With the likes of former RSPL campaigners Cavalier of KSAFA and Rivoli of South Central also taking part, Lawrence is under no misguided impression that the tournament will be a walk in the park.“It is going to be tough… this is the best of the best [and], all the teams we will be playing are all champions. We have to guard against any let-down as, after winning championships, at times it can be tough to get yourself up again and go on, but we have the players who can make it possible,” Lawrence noted.The France World Cup veteran said he gave the players a week off following their win in the Super League final, but the preparation for the play-offs has started.“We took the week off after the final to give the players some rest and a chance to rejuvenate, and we started back with some work on the sands as we know it will be hard, especially with the travelling that we have to do,” Lawrence told the

Observer.“We will keep working and hope we will make it to the Premier League. We know it won’t be easy nothing worth getting in life will be easy but we at Sandals South Coast have found ways to get through the hard times,” he said.In his address during the event, Lawrence said he hoped “to be back at this venue and at this podium soon to be celebrating going to the Red Stripe Premier League”.“We want to play football at the very top level in Jamaica,” he went on.He heaped praises on his players, whom he said made it possible.“We [as coaches] can put all the programmess in place, but it’s up to the players to go out there and make it work, to execute and execute well, and that was what they did this year,” Lawrence ended.