THE body language said it all.

Coach Geoffrey Maxwell was pacing up and down his technical area remonstrating with his Humble Lion players for most of the first half; at one point even threatening to make a substitution as early as the seventh minute if they didn’t improve.

Obviously, he was unhappy.

The visiting Montego Bay United team were dominating the early exchanges of their third-round Red Stripe Premier League fixture at Effortville and came within a whisker of taking the lead on at least two occasions.

The pelting sun that gripped the windy Sunday afternoon in central Clarendon didn’t offer Maxwell much respite, either.

“Ajuran, what the hell are you doing,” he roared one of his defenders with his hands wrapped around his torso, before throwing them in the air in apparent disgust.

“Duckworth, Duckworth, the entire back three is a mess,” he bellowed to team captain Kirk as MoBay’s Mauricio Gordon whistled a menacing shot, low across the face of goal.

“Campbell,” he shouted again. “Tell them to stop this long ball rubbish that dem playing.”

“Pass and play, man,” he instructed.

Just seconds later, the home fans went wild, roaring if you will, in approval of the exquisite build-up that led to Man-of-the-Match Wolry Wolfe rolling the ball neatly across the goal for fellow midfielder Sean Coleman to control with his first touch, hold off his marker, then slot home with his second.

Maxwell was, however, unmoved, though pleased. He knew that the job was far from finished. After all, it was just three minutes before referee Kevin Morrison blew the whistle to signal half-time.

Sixteen minutes into the second half, his demeanour would change slightly. He was somewhat at ease at this stage as Wolfe had effectively settled the contest with a well-taken strike beyond the frighteningly huge figure of goalkeeper Jacomeno Barrett.

To say Humble Lion held on for the rest of the game would be unjust, but it wasn’t smooth sailing towards the end, either. MoBay always looked a threat going forward, but Dr Dean Weatherly’s side just could not penetrate their opponents’ rearguard.

It was a huge victory for the home side, but Max, understandably, wasn’t pleased with the overall execution. Humble Lion aren’t playing the type of football that he wants to see — “the passing game” — but they have been efficient under his guidance and it has slowly been earning them valuable points.

The 2-0 victory over MoBay was one of those moments. They didn’t dominate the contest but did what they had to do to get full points from “a game that we had to win”.

“We worked hard for it, but overall I’m not satisfied with our performance,” he added. “It’s a gutsy performance, a hard-working victory, and I suppose some coaches would be happy with it. For me, I need to see quality.”

It was pretty much the same in the other seven games that they earned points from, even the ones that they ‘dominated’. It’s not that they have been lucky; it’s more like organising themselves in such a way that makes them hard to beat. The statistics from the nine top- flight games they have played under Maxwell’s command, dating back to his debut on December 12, offer good support to this point.

Fifteen points from a possible 27; nine goals for and eight against — three of which came in a toothless display at home to Portmore United on January 6.

In January, the defending champions were their biggest test under a new regime, and the 3-0 defeat, which ended a six-game unbeaten streak in all competitions, proved that they were still very much a work-in-progress.

On Sunday, MoBay offered a similar test — one of five teams still harbouring realistic thoughts of pegging back league leaders Harbour View who enjoy a 11-point lead in the title race — but this time they received a passing grade which moved them seven points clear of the relegation zone.

However, the examination that awaits them at Compound on Wednesday night against the division’s most consistent team, the Stars of the East, will be a huge step up.

Maxwell is hoping the MoBay scalp was the perfect mock exam. “I’m hoping that we can play with a lot of guts like that did against Arnett Gardens,” he said. “The players never gave up and eventually they got the equaliser in the final minute.”