When the young Reggae Boyz take to the field against the Cayman Islands in their second Group ‘H’ game at the CONCACAF U-17 Championship on Wednesday in Guatemala, one player who will be motivated to leave his mark is 16-year-old attacker Jahmarie Nolan.
The St. Catherine-born Nolan gave the region a glimpse of his talent on Monday when he came on as a substitute to score Jamaica’s third goal in a 3-1 win over St. Lucia at the Estadio Cementos Progreso.
It has been an extraordinary last six months for Nolan who, along with teammates Owen Jumpp and Earl Dennis, is a student at Mount Pleasant Academy.
Nolan’s goal on Monday meant he has scored in back-to-back competitive games for Club and Country having netted his first Jamaica Premier League goal for Mount Pleasant FA in a 4-1 win at home against Vere United FC on January 30.
“Scoring my first Premier League goal was an exciting feeling, the goalkeeper had saved the initial shot from the penalty but I was able to get the rebound” said Nolan who was entrusted with the spot kick by Head Coach Theodore Whitmore.
Nolan’s goal in the Jamaica Premier League was a fitting way for him to leave the team for camp with the Under-17s as it added to his two assists for the St. Ann team in his first few games.
Having had the experience of traveling with the Under-17 team to the Torneo del Sol tournament in Mexico earlier this year, Nolan is eager to continue his scoring run.
“I am very confident that I can score more goals for my country and help us to another under-17 World Cup. When I saw the messages from the players who qualified Jamaica the last time we went, it really pushed me to want to do more and represent myself and my family well.”
Coach Whitmore also spoke glowingly about the young attacker.
“When I look at the youngsters, such as Jumpp and Dennis and Nolan, they are very talented players, they work hard and they are willing to learn and now you’re seeing the results.”
Whitmore also added that the exposure of youngsters to senior football also helps in accelerating their development and building confidence.
“When you look at Nolan at his age with a few Premier League games already under his belt, when he is playing at this youth level he will be more confident and maybe even a bit more physical because that is what he would come up against playing with big men.”
The Jamaicans are three of nine players from Mount Pleasant Academy who are taking part in the tournament, including two St Lucian’s, One Bajan and three Haitians, including Franco Celestin who scored in back to back premier league games for the senior team last month.
Nolan’s goal came after Seymour Reid had given the young Jamaicans a 12th minute lead with a simple tap-in after the St Lucian goalkeeper failed to deal with a low cross from the left-hand side of the Jamaican attack.
Two minutes before, captain Geovanni Taylor came close to scoring when his shot from inside the box skimmed the crossbar following the St. Lucian defense’s failure to clear their lines after a corner. After the half-time resumption, Dario Whyte gave the Jamaicans some breathing room in the 50th minute when he finished off a beautiful build-up with a powerful strike across the goalkeeper into the far-side of the goal.
Nolan’s goal from outside the 18-yard box came in the 54th minute as the Jamaicans had a build-up from a throw-in on the near-side.
St Lucia got their consolation in the 73rd minute through Mount Pleasant Academy student Shevon Bryan who caught the Jamaican defense sleeping as he reacted quickest to a ball over the top.
Jamaica’s game against the Cayman Islands on Wednesday is set for a 5pm kick-off. Cayman Islands lost their opening game in the Group 8-0 to leaders El Salvador who the Jamaicans will play on Saturday.
Photo courtesy of Mount Pleasant Football Academy