‘BLOOD THEM’ - New Dunbeholden coach Alex Thomas has eye on making young players competitive 

Newly appointed Dunbeholden FC head coach Alex Thomas says he is determined to work closely with the club's hierarchy to ensure the St Catherine-based outfit reaches its full potential as they target a successful Jamaica Premier League (JPL) campaign next season.

Thomas, 43, who served as assistant coach at Waterhouse FC this past season, has signed a three-year contract with Dunbeholden, replacing Byjeon Thomas at the helm.

Thomas, who has previously led Arnett Gardens, Humble Lion, and Molynes United, also enjoyed a successful stint with Slingerz FC in Guyana, guiding the club to a second-place finish while remaining unbeaten during the 2024 season.

Thomas said he is excited about the opportunity and believes the move comes at the right stage of his coaching career.

"I am feeling very elated going to Dunbeholden because this should have been done like two years ago, but nothing beats time. It is a new journey and it is a new club and so I am looking forward to great things there," said Thomas.

"I am ready for the challenge and I am looking forward to working with everyone to help the club become successful in the Jamaica Premier League."

Thomas added that the club's long-term vision is centred on developing young players while building a competitive squad capable of challenging for honours.

"The plan is to build a competitive team to challenge for the top six in the Jamaica Premier League. It is a three-year plan to build the youngsters and to blood them for the future," he explained.

Dunbeholden endured a disappointing 2025-26 campaign, finishing ninth in the standings with 48 points and missing out on the playoffs.

Despite that setback, Thomas noted that the club has a solid foundation and is confident they can significantly improve next season.

"We definitely want to do much better than we did last season, so I am very committed to the task and, with all hands on deck, we can definitely achieve our goals because the aim is to reach the Concacaf Championships," he said.

"We have good players here but you always want new players to come in and bolster the squad with a different mindset to achieve our objectives. We always want to bring in the best young players to blend with the experienced ones that we have here because, as you know, the youths are the future."