Although wanting to win the ultimate prize, Tivoli Gardens FC Head Coach Jerome Waite says they were more focused on the well-being of forward Nickalia Fuller after being eliminated from the quarter-finals of the Wray & Nephew Jamaica Premier League play-offs by Waterhouse FC at Sabina Park on Monday.

Fuller, 19, was taken to hospital for a leg injury after a challenge from Waterhouse’s Shamarie Dallas in the third minute.

However, the Jamaica Observer understands that following several Xs-rays, it was found that his leg was not broken and was he released from hospital on Tuesday.

Tivoli, who were tipped as a title favourite after finishing third in the regular season, were unable to breakdown Waterhouse, who won the second leg 2-0 to advance 3-1 on aggregate.

While disappointed with the result, Waite says it was difficult for his team to progress due to Fuller’s injury.

“Once the players saw the severe injury that’s the time when you saw even the Waterhouse players felt it as well, because they started to hold their heads. And what I think the referee should have done is go across and assess the injury before he reached to his pocket,” he said.

“If the youngest player in your team suffers such an injury and all the players saw what took place and went across and saw the severity of the injury, it really dampens the team. What I tried to do during the half-time break was to motivate them and let them know to [go] out there and do something for this youngster. The fact he suffered such an injury (but) it wasn’t easy,” he continued.

Waite, in his return to the league this season, was named Coach of the Year and credited his players after the club missed out on the play-offs in the prior three seasons.

“That will say a lot because for a team who accumulated 19 points last year, and at the end of the regular season you have 51 points with 51 goals, that speaks volumes,” he said. “These players are still learning how to play because this is something Jamaicans struggle with at the national level, and it can only get better in years to come, but I have to still continue to teach them the game.

“We’re going to sit down and assess the whole season, see where we could have gotten more out of these players, [but] the fact they’ve done extremely well, and what they have done, no one expected this team to go so far. I will have to commend them for their overall effort. A lot of players also will show interest to want to be part of Tivoli and the door will always be open to them.”