Attacking Approach Pays Off For Waterhouse

Nodley Wright, Gleaner Writer

Some people in football abide by the saying: 'the best form of defence is attack'. Waterhouse Football Club's head coach, Donovan Duckie, is one such person.

With only two 'recognised defenders' in his squad ahead of their Red Stripe Premier League football clash with rivals Arnett Gardens, Duckie took that approach and it bore him rich dividends on Monday night. His three forwards, Jermaine Anderson (twice in the 19th and 93rd minutes), Gary McIntosh (55th) and Andre Clennon (61st) each scored in his team's 4-2 victory.

No choice

Duckie explained that Hughan Gray and Jahmeel Thompson are players more accustomed to playing higher up the field, but with no choice he had to use them as fullbacks and use three midfielders and three attackers to counter the threat that Arnett Gardens would bring.

"We played well (tonight). Arnett Gardens got the better of us last season, defeating us three consecutive times, so tonight it was a different approach," said Duckie, whose charges have not lost a match since he returned from illness just before the end of the first round.

"Today, it was a different formation - 4-3-3," Duckie outlined, while reflecting on the effectiveness of his strategy.

Calvin Lewis, whose team's goals came from Thompson's own goal off Leon Strickland's strike in the 30th minute and a Kirk Ramsay penalty in the 83rd, felt he was let down by poor defending.

"I think tonight, defensively, we were very poor," Lewis said as he assessed his team's performance at the end of the game.

"You cannot play in the Premier League and defend like that.

"We have to do some work on the training ground. We are not defending well," he added.

But while Lewis was accurate in summing up his team's approach to defending, he failed to mention that luck could have been against them as well. The penalty which led to Waterhouse's third goal resulted from a dive by Jason Watson, which luckily for him was not spotted by the referee.

Anderson's second goal should have been ruled offside, but luckily for him it was missed and he made no mistake with his finish, shooting angular across the brave Damion Hyatt.

Despite their luck, Waterhouse looked the more dangerous, being more purposeful in attack and tighter in defence.

"The difference in the second half is that we were more clinical," Duckie correctly observed.

With the win, Waterhouse improved to second position on 30 points, seven behind leaders Harbour View, while Arnett Gardens remained in fifth position - which is tightly bunched in the middle, as only two points separate the third and eighth-place teams.

"We are in second position right now, we are unbeaten in nine games, so congrats to the guys.

"We want to remain confident but not become overconfident," a pleased Duckie said, looking to Sunday's final match of the year.

Lewis, on the other hand, will look to sharpen their defensive and offensive work until the transfer window opens on January 2, 2013.

"We will have to use the transfer window effectively," Lewis stated.