August Town want out of ‘football wilderness’

HAVING LAST competed in the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) back in the 2009-10 season, August Town FC are looking to make their long trip back to nation’s top-flight when they contest the Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) Major League final this Sunday.

August Town will face off against Duhaney Park FC for the parish title on Sunday at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex.

Though the teams have already secured promotion to the KSAFA Championship, a victory for the club would be a welcome sign of August Town progress.

Marlon Small, manager of August Town FC, said the upcoming final is just the first step in a long-term walk for the club that ends in the JPL.

Small was the team’s manager during their last stint in the JPL and said a win on Sunday would be the perfect end to a stellar season for August Town.

“I would say it is very important for us,” he said.

“We have been out in the football wilderness for a while because most Jamaicans see the Major League as ‘bush league’, so getting out of it is great. So now it just for us to go ahead and win because the community has not won a cup in years.”

Small said the support from the community has been tremendous during the season. That support, Small said, increased during the knockout rounds.

According to the manager, this is because the majority of the players in the squad are from the August Town community, so there is a strong connection between their support and the players.

“The support is great. If you had come out to our games, the crowd is there and they have been coming out to the games a lot, especially since the quarterfinals. Most of the players are from the community so they have that family-based support. There are a lot of relatives of players on the team that turn out in support.

“Last year we only went to the quarterfinals and we lost to Shortwood, so the energy around the team is up and we hope we can end the season on a high for the community.”

August Town are quietly confident ahead of their match against Duhaney Park having already beaten their opponents during the regular season.

However, Small said he expects Duhaney Park will prove a bigger challenge in the final as their opponents have pulled off impressive victories against some of the season’s more favoured teams.

“Our confidence is high and the players are really up for the task. We played Duhaney Park in the first round and we won 1-0 but then again, Duhaney Park have strengthened since and they have improved leaps and bounds. But we’re looking forward to the encounter against them.”