A few weeks ago, Donovan Duckie’s outlook for the relegation threatened Humble Lion Football Club looked bleak due to a number of factors.

However, the experienced coach is starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel as he seeks to bring joy to the community of Effortville, Clarendon.

The ongoing season of the Wray & Nephew Jamaica Premier League (JPL) hasn’t been kind to Humble Lion who, prior to Sunday, sat at the foot of the table with 11 points, registering one win from 17 games. Since a victory against Molynes United at the end of October, the club had lost seven of 10 encounters.

It left Duckie frustrated, especially in light of a summer transfer window during which the club failed to attract many of its targets.

However, things have looked more positive, both on the pitch and in the boardroom.

They ended their winless run on Sunday with a 1-0 victory over Chapelton Maroons in the parish derby at the Effortville Community Centre. The week prior, they gained a point against Harbour View, narrowly missing the win after conceding in stoppage time.

Additionally, after recent discussions with the club’s leadership, including President Mike Henry, Humble Lion have made significant progress in signings this month.

The Jamaica Observer has learnt that they’ve secured seven players so far, including Stephen Barnett from Portmore United, Kevin Graham from Mount Pleasant Football Academy and Lamard Neil from Vere Phoenix United, all of whom played in Sunday’s win over Chapelton.

The Observer was also told that Humble Lion are seeking to add at least four more players before the transfer window closes on January 31.

Duckie says it’s necessary to avoid relegation.

“If we had a chance, we’d get [Argentine great Lionel] Messi. But we can’t so we have to look at what we have, design a system that fits the characteristics of what we have,” he said. “Once we acquire the players [we want], you’ll see a much stronger Humble Lion team. [In] 2025 we’re looking at a different pathway so the outcome has to change.”

Duckie, the former national Under-23 head coach, returned to Humble Lion this season after a year’s absence from coaching at the top flight. It was also a return to the club he coached nearly a decade ago, guiding them to multiple semi-final finishes.

Although this season hasn’t gone to plan, Duckie is using his love for the community as motivation to improve results.

“The community means a lot to me. I have a lot of family members with roots in the community so it’s not just a job. The people of community know the problems of the team, we have to be realistic,” he said.

“I’ve used the word revamped [before] and revamp means to change the image and change the pathway for a different outcome, so that’s what we’re doing. The only way to do that is [to] bring in new players and to continue to improve the administrative staff.”

Though spending most of the season in the relegation zone, they are now just one point from safety and Duckie says he’s confident the club can turn things around in the coming weeks.

“Basically, if you look at the table, two wins propel you to 10th or close to ninth place. Sixth position is where the problem would be, we’d have to consistent [win] of four, five games on the trot. I’ve [coached in] this league numerous years now so we’re used to this. It’s a three-round competition and there’s a lot of games to put points on the board,” Duckie said.

— Daniel Blake