Treasure Beach miracle - Club survives Melissa devastation, JPL rigours
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Devastated by Hurricane Melissa and threatened with relegation from the Jamaica Premier League (JPL), Treasure Beach head coach Kemar Ricketts lauded his team’s resilience in their fight to secure their spot in the top flight.
Treasure Beach escaped the relegation battle and secured their survival on Sunday with an impressive 2-0 win over Montego Bay United.
It was their third win in a row and moved them to 43 points with one game left to play, opening an unassailable four-point gap over the relegation- embattled Molynes United and Harbour View, both on 39.
Ricketts said it was a “‘tremendous feeling”’ to know they had ensured their survival after the full-time whistle on Sunday.
He said the win was not just for the team, but it was for St Elizabeth and the surrounding parishes, which had been impacted by the hurricane last year.
“First, let me say thanks be to God, because we wouldn't have been able to survive the hurricane and then do what we have done now without him being at the forefront and guiding us. It's a tremendous feeling for the team and the community and the parish and the adjoining parishes,” Ricketts said.
“For the boys themselves, they needed this, they wanted to work for it, they have worked for it, and it's well deserved for them to remain in the [Jamaica] Premier League and see what we can achieve in the coming season.”
‘IT WAS ROUGH’
Ricketts said it was not an easy ordeal to recover from the impact of the hurricane as not only the team and its players were affected, but their sponsors as well.
He said the hurricane severely impacted their financial resources and they had to take drastic measures to ensure that the club could continue to compete.
Ricketts also explained that they were forced to play a congested fixture to make up for the weeks in which they were out of operation.
“It was rough because we had a lot of battles. We would have lost sponsors, so we didn't have that kind of financial backing that we wanted, so we had to find unique ways of motivating the team and keeping the team fresh,” he explained.
“We didn't have the best recoveries because of the congestion, but whatever we did, it worked. We came through those fixtures, and we managed to regain our spot in the Premier League, which is great,” Ricketts added.
“Diamonds are made under pressure, and I think we are a testament of if - you keep believing and fighting, then you can achieve great things.”
Treasure Beach will close out their season against Molynes United today, and Ricketts said he wants to end the season with a statement win.
Having secured their survival and playing their last game of the season at home, Ricketts is ready to give their fans something to celebrate.
Caption: A Treasure Beach Football Club player attempts to cross a ball ahead of his Racing United opponent during a Jamaica Premier League game at St Elizabeth High School.