Tivoli want home win to honour Seaga

Past records and recent form are thrown out the window when it comes to derbies, and Tivoli versus Arnett is no different.

But this year’s edition will be far more poignant for Tivoli Gardens as it will be their first home game since the passing of their founder and long-time president, Edward Seaga.

The former prime minister, who passed away on May 28, was always present at Tivoli’s home games, perched in a chair in the presidential lounge at the sports complex that bears his name.

Combined with the raw emotions that would be expected is the fact that Tivoli are in need of an immediate response to their 4-0 season opening defeat away to The University of the West Indies (UWI) FC last Sunday.

It is a fact that veteran midfielder Jermaine ‘Teddy’ Johnson has emphasised to his teammates after the defeat to make sure that the disappointment from Sunday does not linger.

“I said to them that this is the first game of the season. We need to think positive because if you think negative, it’s going to keep creeping up in the team,” he said.

Johnson hopes that the occasion will fuel the fire the team needs to put on a much better performance in a season that will be dedicated to Seaga’s memory.

“Anything motivates us when it comes to Tivoli Gardens, plus the fans as well as the community. [As] Seaga is not here with us, we want to do well for him. So that’s the motivation for the team,” he said.

Tivoli Gardens is hoping to reverse their recent fortunes against “The Junglists”. Arnett won all three meetings last season, the most recent of which is a 3-0 defeat at home on February 2. Johnson acknowledges how difficult the game will be but relishes the challenge.

motivator

“It’s going to be difficult, but these are the games. In your country, these are the games you want to play in. These are the games that you dream about to do well. So this should be a [big] motivator for us to come back better from [Sunday’s] result,” he stated.

Johnson does not take his veteran status lightly and recognises his importance to the squad, especially in guiding the young players.

“Once I’m needed, I’m going to do my best for the team and for the players as well. We have a lot of young players, and we want them to do well,” he said.

“So we need to just focus and know that playing against Arnett Gardens is going to be a big game for us. We need to believe in each other and just come out and play.”

The match is scheduled to kick off at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.