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Coach Patrick over the moon after Racing’s qualification for JPL
June 18, 2024
Racing United of Portmore, St Catherine, secured their place in the nation's top-flight football competition for the first time despite going down 1-0 to Reno in their second leg semi-final of the Jamaica Football Championship (Tier II) at the Llandillo Sports Complex in Westmoreland on Sunday.
By virtue of their 2-0 win in the first leg, the St Catherine team emerged 2-1 winners of the tie, and made up for the disappointment of last season where they fell to Lime Hall at the semi-final stage on penalties, after winning the first leg.
Coach Anthony Patrick said their qualification brings great satisfaction, especially due to the fact that they did it with the same crop of players they have been working with for the past five seasons.
"It's a joy. It's an overwhelming feeling to finally get over the hump, especially with the players who have been with us from 2018. So doing it with those set of players makes it even sweeter. But it feels good to finally get over the hump," he told STAR Sports.
Racing's two-goal cushion was reduced early in the first period of the second leg but although they had some scary moments, Patrick thought they were in control for most of the match.
"We wanted to win the first leg by a wider margin but the two goals we scored (first leg) were enough to see us through. They got a goal in the first 15 minutes but we kept our composure and we got plenty of chances in the second half but we were just not scoring," he said.
The team will now turn its attention to the final, where they will face Chapelton Maroons of Clarendon, who are returning to the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) after a one season absence. Chapelton defeated Tru Juice 2-0 in their second leg semifinal for a 4-1 aggregate win.
However, Patrick pointed out that even though the most important thing for the two clubs was to secure their place in the top-flight, he anticipates a very difficult final.
"It's going to be a tough game. We beat them twice this season but both teams have qualified for the JPL and that was the main objective. We (Racing) will put out some youngsters and see how it (final) unfolds but it's going to be a very tough game," he said.
