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Gilbert apologises to Arnett’s fans
November 16, 2023
Coach Xavier Gilbert is apologising to the Arnett Gardens fans for what he believes was an unacceptable performance in his first 'Garden derby' on Sunday, which they lost to Tivoli Gardens.
In the fiercely contested yearly battle between West Kingston rivals, Arnett Gardens had a below-par performance and lost 3-1, the first of the season, and to their worst opponents.
Gilbert, however, has had a decent start to life at Arnett Gardens, drawing two and winning one of their three opening games, but he believes the fans deserved better than their display against Tivoli.
"We just weren't good tonight (Sunday)," he insisted. "I must apologise to the fans for how the team showed up. We have to get better. We were not good enough," he said.
He believes Arnett weren't alert with their decision-making when playing out from the back and credits Tivoli for applying themselves in the match.
"They hit us in transition on a few occasions, but we didn't manage the game as best as possible. The game was evenly matched in the first half, but they were more aggressive and created more scoring opportunities than us.
"We made some adjustments, but that didn't work. We didn't handle the ball well in terms of our decision-making.
"We understood what we were supposed to do, and every time we executed those plans, we created good opportunities, but we just weren't consistent with it, and with our decision-making, we were bad on the night, and Tivoli deserved the win," he continued.
He said the defeat and performance were unacceptable, and they intend to rebound in their next game against Montego Bay on Sunday.
"Overall, we weren't good enough, by our standards and by my standards, definitely. We have to (win the next match). There is no doubt about that because this performance is unacceptable," Gilbert stated.
After four games, Arnett are fifth in the table on five points, four behind leaders Mount Pleasant, who have played a game less.
