Harbour View FC standout for the 2020-2021 Jamaica Premier League (JPL) season Oquassa Chong has been rewarded for his excellent performance in the country’s top flight football by being signed to a three-and-half-year deal by EFB Elite in the Denmark Division One.

Chong was also a standout player for the Jamaica College Manning Cup winning team in 2019 and has quickly advanced in his senior career at Harbour View.

The player was converted into a striker from a midfielder at the start of last season and rewarded the faith shown in him by his coach, Ludlow Bernard, by leading the goal-scoring standings for most of the season.

He eventually finished tied for the Golden Boot with Jourdaine Fletcher of Mount Pleasant FA and Shaqueil Bradford of Waterhouse FC with six goals.

“I am very proud (of Oquassa Chong) because last season when we asked him to take up the responsibility of being the centre forward it really came as a surprise to him and it allowed him to really go out in the deep end and swim,” said Bernard.

“He really did adapt to the league very quickly because as he grew in the season, he became a target and eventually he was able to deal with it,” the Harbour View head coach added.

Bernard believes that Chong was set to light up the JPL even more this season, but he is delighted that he has been given an opportunity to ply his trade in Europe.

“It was a top, top season and one in which he would have learnt a lot. Had he been available for this season, I think you would have seen the real Chong, but he is getting himself into an environment that is going to facilitate development, so I think it is the best move for him.”

Bernard suggested that Harbour View has proven themselves as the number one place for providing overseas opportunities for young Jamaican talent.

“Harbour View Football Club is the place to be for young persons. I hear other persons talking about moving players. We are the capital of moving players and every year, for probably the past twenty years, we would have somebody to show, who would have graduated to the next level,” he noted.

Anthony Bennett, who is just 17 years old, was given the nod in goal during Harbour View’s first win of the season when they clipped Tivoli Gardens 2-1 in match week three and for Bernard, that was another example of what his club is all about.

“You saw young goalkeeper in the goal, 17 (-year-old) Anthony Bennett, he was plucked out and placed in the deep end. This is the type of confidence that we have in our home-grown youngsters. We are looking forward to a few more stepping up and there are some of the older ones in the group who are helping to guide them through this process, which is very important,” he concluded.

— Dwayne Richards