Team manager Paul Christie said he was rendered speechless by news of the sudden death of Dunbeholden FC midfielder Tremaine’s Stewart this morning.

Unconfirmed reports said the former Reggae Boy was playing a ‘corner league’ match early in Portmore, St. Catherine, this morning when he collapsed a short time after taking the field.

Stewart, 33, joined Premier League outfit Dunbeholden FC in September 2020 but was not able to play for the club because the season was cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, according to the manager, his impact was already being felt by the club, whose head coach was convinced that with him, Dunbeholden would win the Jamaica Premier League once the Jamaican government allowed play to resume.

“This one has me searching for words,” said Christie, who confirmed that he had received word that the player had collapsed this morning and subsequently died in hospital.

“He was like the leader we were searching for all along. The players wanted to play with him. (In training) when you put him on the ‘B’ side they would win, when he is on the ‘A’ side, its carnage. They would win by five, six, seven, eight goals.

“The coach said all we had to do was keep him happy and healthy and we would win the Premier League.”

Christie said Stewart always led by example. He would always be at training early and the “players had so much respect for him. He was not a prima donna.”

Stewart began his professional career playing for August Town from 2006 to 2008. He had two stints playing for Portmore United (2008-2012) and again in 2016. He also played for Waterhouse from 2014-2015 before leaving for the Finnish club Rovaniemen Palloseura.

He also had a stint at Norwegian Club Aalesund.

Stewart, known to his friends as ‘Tan Tan’ made 12 appearances for the Reggae Boyz, scoring two goals.