By Carlena Knight
The General Secretary of front-runners Cool and Smooth Global Bank of Commerce AC Delco Greenbay Hoppers, Troy Gibson, believes consistency will be the key for his team to secure their third title.
The former Antigua Premier League (APL) champions now sit at the top of the 10-team standings with 16 points after their 2-1 win over Rawdon and Associates Parham on Saturday night at the Antigua Recreation Grounds (ARG).
Gibson was a guest earlier this week on the Good Morning JoJo Sports Show when he made those comments.
“Last week, the team wasn’t very consistent, we scored some goals in the wrong direction but this week, we came out with some fire, some grit and we are working hard. You know the goals came but I think we conceded in the second half when we shouldn’t have because of silly mistakes at the back which seems to be happening every match. I can only hope that the coach identified it and has continued to work as it continues to improve because with how the Premier League is going every week someone else is at the top so we know that goal difference is going to be very important down the line.”
Defense was another concern raised by the Hoppers official who added that with the transfer window now being open, this is one area where they will be looking to address.
“It is a concern. The stats don’t lie. We’ve kind of now found our foot in front the net but we are still not balancing it in the best way we could, so when the transfer window [opens] we will be looking to strengthen some weak areas that we have. Not taking more than we need but as I’ve stated strengthen some weak areas because we need the help for sure.
“The second round will be a lot tougher than the first. Hoppers is at the top now so teams will be looking at us every week now so we have to make sure that we are well prepared to deal with anything that comes at us for the second round.”
Gibson also commended his team for their performance over the weekend.
“I think it was a good performance all round. We had some spurts where we kind of lost concentration in the second half, bringing Parham into the game more than they should have but in all it was a good performance.
“We sacrificed because of some bad injuries but they still worked hard. I mean, the game could have been five on a more clinical night but I am just glad that they worked hard and we got the victory.” Hoppers will face Fitzroy’s Rewinding Pigotts Bullets on Sunday at 3 pm.