Hall credits Boyz but laments errors

Interim Reggae Boyz head coach Paul Hall said key performances deserved a better outcome in the aftermath of their 3-2 defeat to Panama in their World Cup qualifier on Sunday.

Despite Jamaica taking the lead through Michail Antonio in the fifth minute, a Javain Brown own goal in the 43rd minute, followed by second-half strikes by Eric Davis and Anibal Mello completed the turnaround for Panama. Andre Gray scored a consolation effort in the 87th minute with Jamaica suffering their fifth defeat of the campaign.

Hall singled out the performances of some of the England-based contingent, including Blackpool's Kevin Stewart, who came off the bench to make his international debut, as well as Ravel Morrison, and Ethan Pinnock, who was making his second consecutive start for the team. He said that their efforts were worthy of a better result than they got.

"I think you saw the Ravel Morrison that was willing to work and really run around," Hall said after the game. "He really wanted to win and I was really happy with his attitude. I thought Pinnock at the back [was good], I thought [Adrian] Mariappa was good as well," Hall said. "There were some good performances all over and it is just a shame because I wanted so much more for them and they really tried hard (on Sunday) and it just didn't happen."

For the second consecutive game, Jamaica had the lead but found it difficult to maintain or improve upon it. While pleased at how they started, Hall said that they fell victim to costly errors which allowed Panama back into the game, in particular, the sequence which led to the equaliser.

"Against the run of play, out of character we make a (poor) decision," he said. 'I'm really finding it hard to understand why we made a decision like that and then a little bit after, we were picking the ball out of our net."

The Reggae Boyz will close out the window against Costa Rica at the National Stadium tomorrow, on the brink of elimination from qualifying contention. While Hall has insisted that the overall quality has to improve, he says that they have to do whatever it takes to get three points despite the predicament that they are in.

Jamaica are seventh with seven points, 10 points away from fourth-place Panama.