Players from Waterhouse (above) celebrate after scoring against Panama's Tauro FC in a CONCACAF Champions League game on August 28, 2014.
KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Anthony Patrick would readily accept a repeat of the previous year with a few exceptions, of course.
After taking the reins of Jamaica’s Waterhouse FC last January, Patrick led the club to the top of the 2013/14 Red Stripe Premier League’s regular-season table, before it fell 5-2 to Montego Bay United in the final.
While admitting that the setback, following a 21-game unbeaten streak, was a disappointment, Patrick said, “That was our only loss after we won the league section of the competition, but Montego Bay United were the better team on the day.”
He also guided the side to a place in the 2014/15 CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) after it went a perfect 3-0-0 in Haiti to win Group 2 of the 2014 Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Championship.
Though Waterhouse performed more than creditably in CCL play with wins over Panama’s Tauro (2-1 away, 4-1 home) and narrow losses to eventual Group 4 champion D.C. United (1-0 away, 2-1 home), it failed to reach the knockout rounds.
“We were not there to make up numbers as we were able to win all our games in Haiti and they (Waterhouse) beat Tauro away as well,” noted Patrick, proudly highlighting his team’s success on the international stage.
In the current domestic season, as of December 28, Waterhouse (8W-4D-3L, 28 points) sits third, just four points behind first-place Montego Bay, which has played one additional game. Earlier in the campaign, Waterhouse occupied the summit with a seven-point advantage, but a stretch of one win in the last five games has seen it fall slightly off the pace.
While Patrick conceded that the defeats were unacceptable, he stressed that his squad will “hold our heads high and continue working hard.”
As many of his top young players expected to be away on international duty for Jamaica at the CONCACAF Under-20 and Under-17 Championships in the first quarter of 2015, Patrick is looking towards the January transfer period to bolster the roster.
Despite potential personnel challenges, there is no talent shortage. From Jamaica international Richard McCallum in goal to 36-year-old forward Jermaine Anderson -- the league’s top scorer two seasons ago – Waterhouse is expected to challenge for honors once again in 2015.
With players such as midfielders Romario Campbell (25), Evan Taylor (25) and Nicholy Finlayson (27), wingback Hughan Gray (27) and forward Juvaune Benjamin (22), Waterhouse is not only building for the future, but competing for silverware today.
