Villa to boost roster ahead of premier division return

Technical director for the newly promoted FC Aston Villa, Sowerby Gomes, said the club is willing to embrace the idea of adding to its overseas-based artillery ahead of the 2018/19 domestic football season.
Villa gained promotion to the top flight last week after reaching an unassailable 45 points in the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association’s (ABFA) First Division, returning to the premier division after nine years of absence.
“At that particular level, the premier division and the level of play, we would have to boost our team with some additional injection in maybe bringing one or two more players to add a boost to what we have. We have some young players who are doing very well who will get a little older and with the experience they would have gained from this season, would be able to bring that to the table in the premier division,” he said.
“The coach and his staff will go into some serious preparations after this season to make us not only be there in premier division but to let our presence be felt at the premier division,” he added.
Villa currently employs the services of a number of Cuban players, one of which is striker Rivero Yasnay who has scored 14 times this season.
Gomes commended the player, adding that his presence has also served to bring out the best in the local-based players.
“Certainly, the preparation that went into this season’s performance was a certainty that we were looking forward to being promoted to the Premier Division for the next season. We knew the competition was going to be tight,” the former national player said.
“We knew it was going to come right down to the wire but the preparation we put in was gauged to take us a little further down [into the climax of the season] instead of maybe five games to play and we are there but it is to keep the players focused right now so that we can finish the way we started, on a winning note and close it out with an all win performance,” he added.
As for their return to the top flight, Gomes said it was certainly not by luck.
“He brings that high boost, speed, agility and scoring. He is the leading scorer for the team but if he was to finish all of the goals he would have missed he would have been way up there. However, we are thankful for the injection of our young players because they are the ones, coming out of the midfield that would have created those chances for him,” he said.
“We have a very young squad mixed with a lot of experienced players and I think coaches Carl Casey and Vere Richards are doing quite a good job in terms of blending the talent set that he has,” the former national player said.
Villa was joined by the Liberta Blackhawks in the top flight on Tuesday when they defeated Glanvilles 5-0.