KINGSTON, Jamaica — Tivoli Gardens head coach Andrew Price wants the Edward Seaga Sports Complex to become a dreaded destination for visiting teams after opening his tenure with a convincing 3-0 win over promoted Humble Lion on Sunday.

Two new signings got on the scoresheet for Tivoli—veteran Leaughn Williams, who opened the scoring in the 15th minute, and Damari Deacon, who brought the curtains down in the 90+1 minute.
Ajum Johnson scored the second goal in the 41st.

Price, who took charge ahead of the new Jamaica Premier League season, was pleased with the result but said there is still room to grow.

“You score three goals, you keep a clean sheet, and you get three points. That’s job done,” Price said.

The veteran coach praised his players for handling opening-day nerves.
“I think the players really put in a good shift yesterday and played particularly well,” he said. “But I think we need to be a lot more clinical and more consistent.”

Tivoli controlled large portions of the contest, enjoying territorial advantage and creating enough chances to keep Humble Lion under pressure throughout. Price said the team also showed good game management.

“It was a good first outing,” he noted.

Price was equally encouraged by the turnout at the Seaga Complex. He said community support has been building since pre-season, with residents attending training sessions.

“The momentum has been building since pre-season. People are coming to training to watch us prepare, so I wasn’t really surprised with the crowd that turned out yesterday,” he said.
“There has been a buzz in the community, and I believe that they really came out and supported us well.”

Now, Price wants to turn that support into an advantage and make the Edward Seaga Complex a true fortress.

“What we want to do is build the Edward Seaga Sports Complex into our fortress, where when teams come, they’re intimidated, knowing it’s going to be very difficult to get anything at the ground,” he said.

“I think the crowd really played a big role yesterday in how we started the season, and we anticipate that they’ll continue to turn out in their numbers when we play at home.”

Price, however, is not getting carried away. His focus has already shifted to Tivoli’s next assignment — an away trip to St Elizabeth to face Treasure Beach.

“We’re going to take it one game at a time. Yesterday’s game is over,” he said. “It’s now looking on to the next game against Treasure Beach, which we’ll have to travel down to St Elizabeth for. So we have to prepare for that game and get ready.”

For Price, the message is clear: the 3-0 win was an encouraging start, but the real challenge is consistency — and making the Seaga Complex a place where visiting teams fear leaving empty-handed.

– Howard Walker