With eight games remaining and already eleven points away from the pack, 2010-2011 Digicel Pro League Championship leaders Defence Force are anxious to lift the title.
Speaking with www.ttproleague.com following Friday’s comfortable 3-0 win over ninth positioned Police FC at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium, head coach Ross Russell was very assertive.
“We want to wrap up the League as quickly as possible,” he said. “We want to get the League behind us and focus on the CONCACAF Champions’ League next season.”
Russell has guided the team to a perfect ten from ten in this season’s League Championship after Round Two Match Day One and if it hadn’t been for the expelling of Tobago United, it would have been eleven from eleven.
Thirty points at the top and 11 points ahead of defending champs Joe Public in second, Defence Force is heavily tipped to lift the title.
On Friday leading goalscorer Devon Jorsling notched a double while midfielder Sean Narcis got one in the soldiers’ dominance over Police.
“Our win over Police didn’t make us feel much different,” continued Russell. “After this weekend’s matches we are still ahead of the pack by eleven points.
“We still feel a bit excited, just as we were before Friday’s win. We are very much focused on what we have to do in our upcoming games and that’s to get wins over the top teams. And when they drop points it will just make it easier for us to lift the title well before the end.”
A projected look at Defence Force League schedule shows that the Soldiers will take on W Connection (Tuesday 7 December 2010), North East Stars (Tuesday 14 December 2010), Ma Pau SC (Friday 17 December 2010), Joe Public (Friday 7 January 2011), FC SouthEnd (Saturday 15 January 2011), Caledonia AIA (Tuesday 18 January 2011), San Juan Jabloteh (Friday 21 January 2011) and against St. Ann’s Rangers (Friday 28 January 2010).
Russell welcomes the tight schedule over the next two months adding, “It will work for us.
“We are running on a good form. It may not be best for us if there are a lot of gaps between games. It’s going to be rapid but as fast as games come we are ready to add victories.”
Defence Force ‘s lead-up to Round Two of the Digicel Pro League included reaching the Final of the Armed Forces Continental Football Championship in Suriname this month and qualifying for the Military World Games next year in Brazil.
The Soldiers had an even better warm-up to the Police clash when they trashed Petrotrin-Palo Seco FC 9-1 in the FA Trophy opening round last Wednesday.
Prior to the Soldiers Round Two Match Day Two clash against W Connection on Tuesday 7 December at the Ato Boldon Stadium, they will meet Damarie Hill United on Monday 29 November in the FA Trophy Round of 16.