Sport

'Bradley' eyes brighter side

By AINSLEY WALTERS, Staff Reporter

Rivoli's technical director, Bradley Stewart. - File

RIVOLI UNITED's technical director, veteran Bradley Stewart, must be counting down the days to Wednesday, January 21, hoping his team holds out atop the Premier League second round standings.

If the Spanish Town-based side remains unbeaten for their next three games, they would be vying for three bonus points in the January 25 second round final - three precious chips which could shoot them straight into semi-final contention.

That's a tricky position for one-point leaders Rivoli, a second-year Wray and Nephew Premier League team handled by a respected but woefully unlucky coach, who should have a healthy collection of runner-up medals. To make matters worse, Stewart's team is being hounded in the standings by three of last year's semi-finalists including champions Portmore United.

Should Rivoli's form hold, a spot in the end-of-round final would be deserving reward for a round well-played after ending the first stanza eighth in the 12-team league.

"What has put Rivoli in this position is that we've a hard-working management team," Stewart pointed out. The management crew is committed to providing support to the players.

"Support for this game involves not just salaries but a good environment, coaches, discipline, other areas such as transportation to and from training, medi-care, in that players are taken to the doctor when injured and precriptions filled with urgency to ensure they get back in the game, spending minimum time on the sick list."

The team's main benefactor, Steve Small, is overseas but a brother, Ansel Small, is a vice-president at the St. Catherine club and ensures its operations are smooth.

"We have a caring management team," Stewart added. "The team seeks to ensure nutrition is alright. Players get a meal after each training session, whether once or twice a day and some of pur senior players are housed. It's a great structure within which players feel like they're being treated fairly.

"The other aspect is we have a great bunch of senior players, Patrick Beech, Mobi Oparaku, Mark Wisdom and Miguel Perrin, they provide motivation with a good attitude to training. They're like second coaches on the field," the much-travelled coach pointed out.

The best

Add to that assistants Utah Blade, Anthony Thompson and former Reggae Boy equipment man Norman Stone, who Stewart candidly described as "the best in the world", the 69-year-old coach should have solid ground on which to stave off the Premiership top guns in a race to the end-of-round final.

Stewart, whose coaching stints go as far back to Thunderbolts of St. Catherine before the Premier League was so named, rivals Constant Spring's Geoffrey Maxwell in his travels, only that he spends a longer time at the clubs.

His list of clubs travelled includes Los Perfectos, Maverley-/Hughenden in the 'A' League and Hazard before they won the championship last season.

Maxwell, however, can boast that he took Waterhouse from Major League to Premiership honours, a feat Stewart attempted with Duhaney Park but failed miserably in his first season after advancing as 'A' League runners-up to Village in 2001.

The Corporate Area club crashed out of the Premiership, crushed by money woes and the big experienced clubs.

This time, Stewart has the tools and believes he can pull it off with Rivoli.

"I think we've a good team, which works hard," he said. "They're focused and if they can continue to work hard, they have a good chance of going to the top," said the man, who took Jamaica College to four senior schoolboy finals and failed in each.

Recalling his JC debacle, Stewart, who describes himself as "a senior citizen, who joins the other line at the bank", laughed off his failures but has his mind set on keeping Rivoli ahead of the sharks snapping at their tails in the second round.

"We're on 32 points overall and the leaders (Waterhouse) are on 37. In terms of progress, for the second round we must be the best climbers," he said.

Should Stewart make the end-of-round final, it would be a first for Rivoli but not for their coach, who's hoping he'll be able to shake off his runner-up jinx and go all the way.