Jorginho James looked like a man on a mission when he took to the football field on Sunday night, and he left the field feeling accomplished after giving Harbour View a 1-1 draw with Boys’ Town in their opening match of the 2015/2016 Red Stripe Premier League season.
When the 21-year-old entered the field late in the second half, his team, Harbour View, were trailing visitors Boys’ Town 0-1 courtesy of a goal beautifully constructed by Michael Blygen and Peter Keys and finished by the latter. Every move James made showed intent and had observers who had watched him over the years remarking that he looked a different player.
His industry and intent paid off in the 83rd minute as his strike from just outside the 18-yard box eclipsed Keys’ in beauty. That strike eased the tension at Harbour View and sent the player’s confidence sky high as his face lit up the park.
‘Elated’
“I am feeling elated. We were training to kick shots and score from the top of the ‘D’ as I am an attacker, so coach put me out there and gave me the confidence to go out there and get a goal for the team,” the former Wolmer’s and Kingston College Manning Cup representative said at the end of the game.
That performance and the strike, James said, meant so much to him, as ever since he scored on his debut for the Reggae Boyz as a 17-year-old in a win against Cuba, he struggled to find football happiness.
“It has been a long time since I have got back to myself, and I feel it now. I don’t know why, but I had a great preseason. Even though I did not start tonight, I was pretty much pumped up for this game and pumped up for the upcoming season; so, this season, you are going to see a lot more of Jorginho James,” the speedy player promised.
After his successful debut, James said things threatened to take off for him, but nothing materialised.
“I made my Reggae Boyz debut as a 17-year-old, and I have been working on getting back to that place. I have been moving in and out of the season on trials and so forth, trying to get myself up and outside of Jamaica, but I finally decided to settle down and have a full season here and see what happens,” said the man who was named after a famous Brazilian wing back.
Among the opportunities James tried to capitalise on was one in Japan.
“I was offered a contract in the J-League some months right after I scored for Jamaica on my debut. I have been in the US, I was in Finland a couple months ago.
“In fact, I played a couple practice matches for the J-League team, and something went wrong and negotiations failed between the two clubs. I spent four months in the US practising with a club that
has some affiliation with the Philadelphia Union. I trained with some College guys (this was last summer),” he explained.
James expressed confidence that with the support of his coaches and encouragement of his team-mates, he will achieve his goals.