It would not be a surprise to fans of Montego Bay United (MBU) that Trinidad and Tobago international Josiah Trimmingham was handed the captain’s arm band for the start of his third season at the Jamaica Premier League club.

Trimmingham, one of the players brought in to turn around the 2023-2024 season, rescuing MBU from relegation, has established himself in the team as a vocal leader and reliable player.

At half-time, in a first-round game against Dunbeholden FC at the Montego Bay Sports Complex last season, with the score tied at 1-1, Trimmingham called his team together before they left the field for a quick meeting, where he appeared to be doing all the talking.

On his way off the field, he also stopped to talk to some of the ball boys and then later scored the winning goal in a 2-1 win. He told the Jamaica Observer he simply asked the players to lift their game.

At a media day event for the club on Wednesday at the Montego Bay Sports Complex, “Truck”, as he is called, said leadership came naturally to him.

“It’s in my portfolio to be one of the leaders in and around the team since I’ve arrived,” he said. “So, of course, I don’t have a problem welcoming the responsibility of overseeing the guys on and off the field. So it’s not a problem at all.”

Trimmingham, who replaced Owayne Gordon as the skipper, said he has the support of his teammates.

“Ever since I’ve arrived at Montego Bay United the players have shown me great respect in the game of football,” he said. “So they have always been supportive in that regard.”

MBU went behind in their first game of the season last Sunday against Mount Pleasant at Drax Hall before rallying to lead 2-1. They, however, had to settle for a 2-2 draw.

“From the first half, and throughout the game, we weren’t as sharp as we should have been where goalscoring is concerned,” Trimmingham said. “Even in the defensive part of the field where little errors happen and we conceded early.

“However, coming into the second half, after a positive team talk by the coach [Xavier Gilbert] and his staff, we were able to go ahead 2-1, but, unfortunately, concede again to then end the game in a draw, which was something we really weren’t expecting at the time. However, we accepted the draw and are moving forward into the rest of the league.”

In his over years in Montego Bay, joining MBU in the January transfer window in his first year, Trimmingham has been through it all, just avoiding relegation, to just missing the play-offs on goal difference, to getting to to the semi-finals. He says the plan is to keep getting better.

“This season we are just like the rest of the teams,” he said. “Every season we choose to take the game a step higher, and the staff are doing their part in the sense of allowing the players to express themselves and try to get the best out of the players each and every year. So we are hoping to finish in the top two as we were hoping last season. However, with the work and the new players, and nucleus of players that we have now, I think that it’s possible for us to finish on a higher level than we did last season.”