The leading scorer in the Jamaica Premier League, Atapharoy Bygrave made his debut for the Reggae Boyz in a 1-1 draw with El Salvador at the Office in Kingston on Thursday night.

Despite the few minutes given on the pitch, he busied himself, getting in and amongst the defenders to ensure that his presence was felt.

Both goals in the match had already been scored and Jamaica was in the ascendency when he made his way onto the field of play, which made it a little easier for the Dunbeholden FC player.

While admitting to feeling a little bit of anxiety, Bygrave said that he did his best to remain as calm as possible, while sitting on the bench for the first time for the national team and watching what was taking place in front of him.

“I just had to be patient because I knew that it was up to the coach to put me in the game. There were a few nerves, but I did my best to remain calm and focused.”

He said that the instructions from the coaching staff was to not feel pressure in any way when he went into the game.

“They told me not to play under any pressure, so I felt comfortable in the game.”

For the most part Jamaica dominated possession of the game and troubled their opponents, who took the lead just about midway the first half.

Bygrave believes that the team acquitted themselves well over the 90 minutes.

“It was a great performance from us. We just need a little more work, but it was a great performance.”

There are two remaining games in the CONCACAF qualification round and with his name being on the list of 23 for the game against Canada on Sunday, he is hoping to continue to make an impression on head coach Paul Hall, so that he will be able to play in the final home game on Wednesday.

“Hopefully I will stay in the squad for the remaining games. I keep working hard in training, so hopefully I will, but I just leave it up to the coach,” he said.

Jamaica remained seventh in the eight-team table on eight points following Thursday’s draw.