Another year, a new Premier League season, but the same old Cavalier football club.

With the disrupting impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the philosophy of the organisation remains the same.

As it was, as it is, and what it will forever be, the development of young players sits at the axis on which Cavalier builds out on other areas of its programme.

Winning titles, though important, is a bonus in the larger scheme of things.

The club’s Technical Director Rudolph Speid says 20 of his 30-member squad are 20 years and younger, but that won’t stop them from running the more experienced teams ragged.

“I expect to be at the business end, and when the play-offs start, we will be there,“ Speid told the Jamaica Observer.

“But, first, we have to get through that first period because it is kind of erratic at this time because preparation wasn’t as smooth as it should be. But, outside of that, I expect to be there when the play-offs start,” he reiterated.

Cavalier, which was formed in 1962, has won the Premier League once in the 1980/81 season and won the old Division One title in 1965, 1966, and 1971. They also captured the Kingston & St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) Major League in 1974/75 and 1978/79 seasons.

The Duncan Destroyers, as they were once called, also won the KSAFA Super League in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2017.

But the focus has switched from winning titles to the broad-based development of players for the overseas market: it’s a strategy that has been working very well.

The likes of Nicholas Anderson, Alex Marshall, Jamoy Topey, Nicque Daley, and Kaheem Parris are the latest to move overseas.

That leaves the club with a plethora of young talented players bursting at the seams to make an impact.

Cavalier, once again, have some of the best talents coming out of the school competitions, many of whom have represented Jamaica at various levels.

Among them are Dwayne “Busy” Atkinson (Kingston College), Ronaldo Webster (Wolmer’s), Shaneil Thomas (Jamaica College), Richard King (Clarendon College), Nickache Murray, (Wolmer’s and JC), Orlando Russell (Wolmer’s), Giovanni Laing (Camperdown) and Kenroy Campbell (Rusea’s High).

They will join forces with the six regular starters from the last campaign in Jeadine White, Jamar Purchell, Gadail Irving, Kyle Ming, Bryan English, and Kamoy Simpson.

Then, there are some very talented “babies” plucked from the nursery in 14-year-old Adrian Reid Jr of St George’s College and 15-year-old Christopher Ainsworth of Calabar.

“So, what we have at this time is just six players who have more than the truncated years of experience. So, if a team like that is able to play well and make the play-offs then very well,” Speid pointed out.

“I would be satisfied with improvement. But, it will be difficult because they are new, but their rate of learning is exceptional and that is what I like, as they sop up what wi trying to do like sponge,” said Speid.

“But, I hope that the first round will teach them what they have to do and will get better in the second round,” he added.

Well, not all things seem to be the same for Cavalier, as Speid hints that a tweaked brand of football could be on the table.

“We will be playing a little different than how we used to play, but it will be pleasing to the eye as usual, and I hope we can carry it over into victories,” said Speid, who was himself a player at Cavalier.

When the 2019/2020 season was cancelled due to the pandemic, Cavalier were sitting in eighth spot on 39 points after 29 games. They were four points adrift of a play-off spot.

The year before that, Speid led Cavalier to third in what was their best performance in many years, and this year, despite a young team, Cavalier could be there at the end.