Former Molynes United FC head coach, Alex Thomas, is set to kick off his campaign with Guyana's Elite League Championship team, Slingerz FC, as they face Monedderlust FC in a much-anticipated grudge match on Sunday at the Guyana Training Centre, scheduled for 6:00 pm (5:00 pm Jamaica time).
Thomas, who took the reins after departing Jamaica Premier League unit Molynes FC in November 2023, faces a challenging start, aiming to avenge Slingerz FC's previous 1-0 upset defeat to Monedderlust FC in the Elite League playoff last January. Despite the setback, Slingerz secured their place in the championship by defeating Victoria FC a week later.
With just one week to prepare, Thomas has hit the ground running, emphasizing the mental and physical aspects of the game to his new squad. In an exclusive interview with Sportsmax.TV, Thomas expressed satisfaction with the warm welcome and effort from the players.
“I have had to do things fast. I’ve been trying to get to know the players, trying to get them to understand what I want, how I want them to play mentally and physically. It’s a lot of work but they have given me a warm welcome and they’re putting in the work.
“In the future, you’re going to need more players to complete the squad but this is the squad that I am working with for Sunday.”
Notwithstanding, he believes the team will be ready to begin a successful campaign against the team that upset them in early January.
“Definitely, I have prepared the players to the best of my ability so the players can execute well on Sunday. They understand that Monedderlust FC is the team that beat Slingerz FC in the playoff for promotion and Slingerz finished second so it’s going to be a big grudge match, so it’s going to be more of a mental game, get them up to speed, get them vibing, energetic but they’re doing what they do best.
“At any given time you want to put your best foot forward, especially in a new job, a new challenge, a new environment because coming from Jamaica you have to understand everything going on around you, the culture, the people, everything; so it’s a learning process not only for football but the whole general aspect of things but you always want to put your best foot forward to win.”