It took Phillip Williams five attempts with Tivoli Gardens FC to get his first win in the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL).

He took over as head coach of the West Kingston-based club following the departure of Omar Edwards, who took up an overseas assignment recently and was delighted to finally get a tick in the winners’ column on Sunday.

“We have been hunting for this win for the last three games, and we have been playing some good football. We were unfortunate for the last two, tonight (Sunday) it was all about execution and a little bit of luck, both came together for us, and we are glad for the win,” he said.

The man, who has guided St Andrew Technical High School to at least the final four of the Manning Cup in the last two seasons, has stepped up to topflight football and is hoping to guide Tivoli Gardens to a play-off spot in his first stint in the RSPL.

He is hoping to build on the win despite time running out on his team.

“This can be a platform for greater things… this win definitely keeps us in the hunt for one of the top six spots, and we are still optimistic of making it to the play-offs. We have been putting in the hard work and hopefully we can put three more games together and give ourselves the best shot possible,” he reasoned.

Williams could not help but highlight the contribution of his team’s top-scorer Colorado Murray who went top of the RSPL goal-scoring charts, when he got the first goal of the game on Sunday.

“Colorado Murray is very important to us. The three goals came from his efforts; the first one an optimistic shot that ended up going for him in the end. The second one was a pressure ball across the box and a deflection in the goal off the defender; and the third one, he won the penalty which is down to his hard work and ingenuity,” Williams said.

Murray had to leave the field with an apparent injury late in the game and it is a cause for concern for the club.

“He is definitely very important to us… we just hope his injuries stay way for the rest of the season,” the new coach said.

Williams is pleased with the response he has got from the players.

“Surprisingly, these guys have shown me a lot of respect. The mood has been up from day one and we have been playing some good football.

“They understand what I want them to do, they respect it and they have been working hard to get the job done,” Williams stated.

Today Tivoli will travel to Effortville to take on a play-off stricken Humble Lion, who are just as in need of three points as they are so can expect no favours from the ninth place team.

– Dwayne Richards

More RSPL on Pages 37 & 38