REGGAE Boyz Head Coach Heimir Hallgrimsson believes defensive enforcer Damion Lowe could be utilised in midfield for the long term.

Traditionally a centre back, Lowe played 45 minutes as a defensive midfielder in Jamaica’s 1-0 win over the Dominican Republic at the National Stadium in their first match of the second round of Concacaf World Cup qualifying.

The 31-year-old, who also filled in as captain in the absence of Andre Blake, has been given the nod to play in that midfield role since his cameo away to Canada last November which saw the team win 3-2 and advance to the last four of the Concacaf Nations League, and also qualify for the Copa America later this month.

Hallgrimsson, in the past, has stated his concerns regarding the lack of quality and depth in midfield.

With the absence of Joel Latibeaudiere (injury) and Kasey Palmer (suspension), he had other midfield options with Kevon Lambert and teenagers Karoy Anderson and Adrian Reid Jr.

However, Hallgrimsson says Lowe was the right man for the job on Thursday.

“In the first half we were struggling, so he’s important in this role when we’re struggling; when we’re playing good teams it’s good to have a bulldozer in midfield, so he’s a versatile player. He’s a leader. He was our captain today so he led by example, like always, so he’s a really important player for us,” he said.

“It’s good to have versatile players. We have a few players, like Latibeaudiere, who can play a lot of positions so it’s good to have players like that if you want to change the system during the game without doing a substitution.”

Lowe, who was said to have picked up an injury, was replaced by Anderson at half-time.

Anderson, who was earning his fifth cap but first on Jamaican soil, said he enjoyed his home debut.

“When I came on we were one nil up and I was told to just maintain the tempo, make sure we keep playing forward, don’t give them an opportunity to get back in the game. When I came on that was my main focus but, obviously, it’s quite warm, everyone gets tired quick, so you have to make sure we keep the ball before we just go forward and maybe lose it,” he said. “It was a great experience, I enjoyed it a lot, especially coming on at 1-0, there’s still a lot of play form, chances to create, and obviously the crowd was really excited so it was really enjoyable — and the fact we won made it even better.”

Anderson, though happy with the win, says the team needs to improve going into future games.

“I think the team was slow but sometimes we picked it up in the second half a lot, picked the right decisions [regarding] when to go forward. Cephas on the left was beating his defender a lot and we got down the right side as well. In the end we created enough chances but we’ve got to be a bit more clinical,” analysed Anderson.

The Reggae Boyz left the island on Friday as they prepare to take on hosts Dominica at Windsor Park on Sunday in the second game of Group E.