Waterhouse FC put one foot into their third consecutive Jamaica Premier League final when they beat Mount Pleasant FA 1-0 in the first leg of their semi-final at the Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence at UWI last Saturday.

It was the second time that Waterhouse was getting the better of their opponents this season, but that win meant a little bit more to the players than just putting them within touching distance of the final.

Their head coach, Marcel Gayle, lost his mother a few days before the game, which made the players more determined to win.

This was revealed by man-of-the-match Denardo Thomas in a post-match interview.

“He lost his mom, so we said we were going to come out here and do it for him. This win was definitely for coach,” he said.

After finishing top of the table at the end of the regular season, Waterhouse had a straight passage to the semifinal while Mount Pleasant remained active by playing in the quarterfinal round.

“They were still in momentum to play and we got some rest, so we knew they would be sharper than us, but we stayed in the game and got a win. We played according to instructions. Coach said to be patient and the chances would come and we got one and put it away. Congratulations to the team,” Thomas said.

He hailed the contribution of his teammate Shaqueil Bradford, who has hit a rich vein of form with five goals in their last four games, including the match-winner on Saturday.

“He is a good player and he works hard in training, so come match day we know it would pay off.”

As far as the second leg on Wednesday is concerned, Thomas expects his team to finish the job and take their place in the final on Saturday.

“We have to keep patient, work hard as usual and deliver on the day. Coach talks to us a lot. He encourages us to keep our head up and continue to work hard.”

Waterhouse will take on Mount Pleasant in the first game of a doubleheader at the Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence today, starting at noon.