National senior men’s football team Assistant Coach Merron Gordon says the Reggae Boyz will be aiming for a much quicker start when they face Haiti in their Group B match in League A of the Concacaf Nations League at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, at 7:00 pm Jamaica time.

The Reggae Boyz will enter today’s match oozing confidence, having thrashed hosts Grenada 4-1 in their last game on Thursday.

However, in their last game against Haiti at the National Stadium on September 12, the Reggae Boyz trailed 2-0 inside 15 minutes before coming back to draw the match 2-2.

The Reggae Boyz are leading the group with seven points, two ahead of Cuba. They are followed by Honduras, on four; Haiti, on three; Suriname, on two; and Grenada, on one.

Gordon told the Jamaica Observer that it is important that the Reggae Boyz get out with a positive start and do not allow their opponents to settle into a rhythm, because Haiti is a good side. “We are feeling positive, because the last time we started out slowly against them, so we have to start stronger,” Gordon said.

“It is good that we got over the Grenada leg of the tournament and we are in a positive mood. The boys are in a good mood and hopefully we can execute, and execute very well in this game and top the group.

“It is a very important game for us because we want to always win and we want to keep a winning culture going.”

Gordon says Haiti has not been doing well in the competition so far, so they are desperate for every point at this stage of the competition.

“The Haitian team is always a fighting team, and I know that they don’t want to go into League B of the Nations League,” Gordon said.

“They drew against Suriname, so things are not really working out for them in terms of the win column, so I know that they really want to win this game and try and avoid going down to League B of the Nations League.

“I know that they are always a very tough team to play against, and I know that mentally and physically these players are tough players, so I know that they are going to come out and fight, but we are ready for the challenge.”

Gordon says the camaraderie among the players has been good and the coaching staff has been working to ensure that the team continues to build a positive vibe going forward.

“It [chemistry] is slowly but surely coming together, because what the technical staff is doing is that we are trying to maintain a core of players, so little by little the players will understand each other and we can just build on that little by little,” he said. “We are putting young players with experienced players just to keep the team going and to keep the team moving forward.”