WHAT AN opportune time to get a boost.
Title-chasing Barbados Defence Force (BDF), in a must-win situation will have five new football recruits in their line-up when they meet leaders Weymouth Wales in a title deciding Digicel Premier League match today at at 6 p.m. at the Gall Hill Playing Field in St John.
After sitting patiently on the sidelines for the entire season waiting for the recruitment process to be completed, defenders Ricardio Morris and Baggio Harewood, midfielders Raheim Sargeant and Mario Williams, and striker Jamal Chandler, will finally get a chance to play for the army’s sports programme outfit.
Morris, a highly regarded central defender; Sargeant, a gifted midfielder, who many football pundits believe will eventually replace Norman Forde when he hangs up his national boots, and Chandler, have all made brief appearances for the Barbados side in warm-up matches over the past 18 months.
But it will be the first time Morris and Sargeant, who previously represented Division 2 side Kick Start, are playing at this level. Both are expected to be in the starting line-up.
Morris is likely to take the place Jason Lovell, who was red-carded in BDF’s last game, while Sargeant should fill the void created by the absence of injured national utility player Kadeem “Buju” Atkins.
Chandler, the most experienced of the new recruits, played for both Paradise and Pride of Gall Hill. He is a speedy and skillful striker and will form an exciting striking triumvirate with BDF’s captain Mario Harte and Kyle Gibson, who have nine and six goals respectively.
And along with forward Chai Lloyd, they will fancy their chances of penetrating the Julian Mottley and Shawn Clarke-marshalled Wales’ defence.
Harewood, who represented St John Sonnets last season in the Premiership, joins a BDF defence of six-footers Tariq Highland, Kemar Dottin, Zico Phillips and the stocky Paul Alexander.
In the first round, Wales handed BDF a 4-0 drubbing and even with the addition of Morris, they will have a tough task keeping the season’s leading goalscorer Dwayne Stanford (13 goals) and teenager Kemar Headley (eight goals) from getting a crack at goalkeeper Saheka “Rossi” Duke.
Miller will be looking to make an impact alongside Sargeant, Nicholas Best and Shamar Edwards in the BDF’s midfield. But this is the area where Wales is very strong with have a formidable trio of Jabar “Buggy” Greene, Paul “Soup” Lovell and Zaeehaeus Polius.
Second in the standings on 31 points, eight fewer than Wales, who have played one more match, the BDF boys can tally a maximum 40 points with wins in their last three encounters, including this one.
Should Wales also lose to Paradise in their final game, then BDF can clinch a third title at this level, adding to the 1995 and 2007 triumphs.
On the other hand, Wales, on 39 points, only need a draw to lift the title and add to the 14 other league crowns they won between 1964 and 1987 before the Division 1 competition was rebranded to the Premiership.
It is a pity a match of such significance won’t be played at the National Stadium but that venue is unavailable because of an athletic meet.
It is the second game of a triple header as DirecTV Paradise face dethroned champions, Meridian Castrol Youth Milan at 4 p.m. while the two relegated teams, Bagatelle and Pinelands clash at 8 p.m. (EZS)
