NATIONAL GOALKEEPER AARON Lawrence could be the man between the sticks for Village United's crucial away game against Wray and Nephew Premier League leaders Waterhouse at Drewsland Sunday afternoon.

Village coach Lloyd Williams yesterday told STAR Sports Lawrence's transfer from relegation-threatened Reno is all but a done deal, adding that personal terms have already been agreed between player and club.

Reno's technical director, Wendell Downswell, appeared to be delaying an inevitable announcement when contacted.

"Village have expressed an interest in him," he said, referring to Lawrence, who he said was injured earlier this season and hasn't tended goal at Reno for their past seven games.

"The executive will meet today," Downswell added. "There's nothing signed, saying he has been transferred. By Wednesday, I can give something definitive."

Last Thursday, Williams had hinted he would be signing a Reggae Boy but refused to give details. Subsequent reports linked Lawrence, a long-time national, who was second-string to Warren Barrett before taking over after Jamaica's historic 1998 World Cup debut.

However, he has since been relegated to the Reggae Boyz' bench by Donovan Ricketts, who recently left Village on a loan deal to English Premiership outfit Bolton Wanderers.

Should Lawrence, a 14-year Reno veteran, be transferred to Village by this Thursday, he would be available for the second round final contenders' hot showdown against Premier League leaders Waterhouse. The match is a must-win for Village, who are tied with league champions Portmore United and Tivoli Gardens on 18 points chasing 20-point round leaders Rivoli two games ahead of the bonus final.

Williams hedged around confirming whether Lawrence would take over from Elvis Hart Sunday if his transfer pulled through, saying he wasn't ready to decide if the national 'keeper would be first-call at Elliston Wakeland.

Shown interest

"He had shown an interest in wanting to come to Village from earlier in the season but we weren't really interested," Williams explained. "We had Elvis Hart and a reserve goalkeeper but we decided to strengthen the team in all areas.

"Since he was available, we thought it best to take some of the workload off Elvis, who was pushing to play even through injuries and that wasn't good for him."

At Reno, which he joined straight out of High School, Lawrence was the man, captain and inspirational player in addition to designated penalty taker. However, a year ago, it was alleged that he assaulted then Reno president Carl Salmon, an act which earned him a four-match ban. That quickly escalated into a player-revolt, causing the Westmoreland club to miss an away fixture against Tivoli Gardens.

Williams made it clear he had no problem with a player of Lawrence's stature coming in as a team leader but pointed out that Village had rules for everyone "including Aaron Lawrence".

"He's gonna travel from Westmoreland to Trelawny for training," the Village coach pointed out. "He has a certain number of days to train to be a part of the squad. The players are allowed days off and if they're not at training, they're not in the squad. It will also go for Aaron Lawrence."

Village players train twice daily. Some players residing outside the parish are accommodated at the clubhouse in Falmouth whereas Lawrence could join the likes of Christopher Dawes, who travels from St. Catherine and Kevin Williams commuting from Clarendon.

Even though Lawrence has been a fixture with the national team, he has been unable to turn around Reno's almost decade-old Premiership woes, which included demotion to the then lower 'A' League.

Williams, however, seems ready to hand the national 'keeper the lead role at Village.

"The boss of any team comes with performance," he said. "If he comes and shows outstanding form, why not give him the mantle to carry. It's all about performance. A goalkeeper can only be as good as his defence line.

"Even Oliver Khan can become ordinary without a good defence in front him," the Village coach added.