LEON Hardware, head coach of two-time champions Boys’ Town, believes that hard work and discipline were key factors that contributed to his team successfully retaining their Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) Wray and Nephew Championship.

Boys’ Town held on to their title on Sunday at Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex, after an exciting, 6-5 penalty-kick victory over Jamaica Defence Force (JDF). This followed a thrilling 2-2 draw at the end of full and extra time in front of a packed crowd.

“It feels good to know that we are coming from the bottom of the table and so we had to put in a lot of work, and I am glad it paid off in the end for us,” said Hardware. “I think that when we played the first five to six games we were at the bottom of the table and so we had to dig deep to reach the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final. I commend our youngsters for the way they went out there and executed the game plan for us.”

Boys’ Town are situated in the community of Trench Town in Kingston and, according to Hardware, he is grateful that the team received a lot of support and encouragement from the residents.

“Our community people have believed in us from day one and they encourage the youngsters on a daily basis. They went out there and put their all into it, and I am very happy that we were able to deliver this title once again for them,” he said.

“Things were not smooth for us from the semi,finals going into the final but our players dedicated themselves to it and said that they wanted the title. They just put in the work that was required to win the competition for us,” Hardware added.

Meanwhile, in the opening match of the double-header August Town defeated Duhaney Park 2-1 in the Major League final to lift the trophy. Both teams have now been promoted to the championship next year while Boys’ Town are set to compete in Jamaica Football Federation’s Tier Two competition for a spot in the Jamaica Premier League.

Mark Bennett, president of KSAFA, was very pleased with the outcome of the competitions this season.

“Overall, it was a fantastic season for us because it climaxed with two wonderful and exciting games in front of a very large crowd — which we had anticipated based on the promotional efforts that Wray and Nephew put in place and the strengths of the teams that were playing,” said Bennett.

“I think that as the season progressed the quality of the games improved, and you saw that closer to the end of the preliminary rounds of both competitions. Sunday was another example of the quality of football that was on display in our competitions,” he added.