News of the appointment of Mr Lorne Donaldson as head coach of Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz will have settled nerves for many people following the fallout in late April which threatened to derail the national women’s football programme.

Football watchers will recall news of an extraordinary letter to the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) signed by senior members of the national women’s team registering their total lack of confidence in their coach Mr Vin Blaine.

The ladies — a number of whom were central to the Jamaica squad which made it to the Fifa World Cup finals in 2019 — made it abundantly clear they did not believe Mr Blaine had what was required to guide them to the 2023 World Cup.

That letter came as a shock to most people, since Mr Blaine was the man in charge as the Reggae Girlz easily topped their group in the Caribbean phase of qualifiers earlier this year.

The JFF later publicly maintained its support for Mr Blaine. But as far as we are aware, no action was taken against the letter writers, without whom, it is widely accepted, Jamaica would have had no chance of getting past the Concacaf round of qualifiers next month.

Under the circumstances, Mr Blaine had no choice but to resign, which he eventually did.

The appointment of Mr Donaldson — a former Jamaica and Cavalier footballer and former coach of the Reggae Girlz — came as no surprise for football watchers.

He was part of a team which, over a period of several years, guided Jamaica’s women to success in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Under-17 Championship, the Caribbean Under-20 qualifiers, and most significantly, the 2019 Fifa Women’s World Cup in France.

However, Mr Donaldson parted ways with the JFF on a sour note — opting not to permanently take on the job as head coach because of what he considered their unprofessional behaviour.

Mr Donaldson, who we hear has the support of a wide cross section of the football fraternity, has made it clear that he is returning because of patriotism and concern for the players. “For me it’s love for country and love for the players, that’s all there is to it,” Mr Donaldson told this newspaper.

Among his urgent needs, Mr Donaldson points to the necessity of a training camp leading into the Concacaf qualifiers in Mexico, July 4-18. The Jamaicans are drawn in Group A alongside world champions United States, host Mexico, and Haiti.

We note the promise of full support from the JFF as it confirmed Mr Donaldson’s appointment.

“We looked at all the dynamics involved, including the short period to prepare, and agreed that Lorne brings specific advantages to the position, including familiarity with regional football culture and knowledge of the players and is well-placed to navigate the team through what will be a difficult qualifying exercise.

“The JFF will give all the necessary support to him and the team, and we are confident that they will make Jamaica proud in Mexico,” JFF President Mr Michael Ricketts said.

Jamaicans will be keeping their fingers crossed, hoping for the best.