Harbour View chairman plans U20 title winners as core of senior push for Premier League return

Harbour View chairman Carvel Stewart has confirmed that most of the under-20 side that beat Arnett Gardens 2-0 to lift the KSAFA Next Gen U20 crown on June 21 will serve as the foundation of the senior team pushing for a swift return to the Jamaica Premier League.

The club was dropped from the top division for the first time in more than three decades after finishing second from bottom in the most recent JPL campaign. Relegation has cast a shadow over Harbour View, yet Stewart sees the youth team's success as a bright spot. Led by standout forward Tyrique Robinson, the U20 group has convinced him that the club holds the building blocks needed to climb back to elite domestic football.

"They do need to grow some more but I think we have the base of the group of players who will take us back to the Premier League. This team has enough talent, enough skills, and it's just to keep them grounded and we think they will do well," he told The Gleaner following last Sunday's victory at the UWI Mona Bowl.

Stewart added that Harbour View continues to perform strongly in age-group competitions across Jamaica. He argued that the club's long-standing commitment to developing young talent will ultimately carry it through its fight to regain top-flight status.

"We are graduating through our youth programmes and that is what we have always done. Unfortunately, we didn't get enough of them in time for the senior group (JPL), but they are going to form the base of the qualification going forward."

Robinson tops Stewart's list of promising performers, though the chairman stressed that several other youngsters are ready for greater responsibility.

"He (Robinson) is an outstanding prospect and hopefully he will grow, so we can get him into something more lucrative than what we have here in Jamaica, so he can earn a good living from his talent. We are looking to him and others, but he is ahead of the game right now. However, if you look at the quality, the defensive core was very solid. We have players Habbie (Mohammed) and Ajay (Needham), who we think will also grow. They are all good prospects," he stated.