Nodley Wright | Jamaica Gleaner
Wearing the captain’s armband is not something Nicholas Beckett takes lightly. The 27-year-old former Wolmer’s Boys’ School standout embraces the responsibility that comes with the leadership position and tries to rise with it.
Sunday night was no different for Beckett as with points on the line and his team in danger of slipping down the table, the multi-faceted midfielder stepped up to deliver. He curled home an unstoppable free-kick in the 75th minute to give his team a 1-0 victory over Cavalier.
“It was very important that we won today because as you can see, Waterhouse were a few points ahead of us and we wanted to remain in the top four, so we had to win to ensure that,” Beckett said at the end of the game, indicating the magnitude of the challenge that faced him.
Good comeback
A win was the only result that would have been acceptable to Beckett as after losing to Boys’ Town last week, another loss would not be tolerated.
“This win was definitely a good comeback. We went back to the drawing board and worked on a couple stuff and we came here today and executed,” said Beckett, who was scoring his second goal of the season and saw his team improve their standing to third on the points table.
Beckett, who has been part of the national team, said his own performance was a good one.
“I did quite well. There was a lot of coverage. I supported my teammates, but this performance was more than about me. They helped throughout the game, and all of us are happy for the win,” he said.
Stepping up to take the free-kick, Beckett said he was filled with confidence.
“You always think that you are going to score because you have to be confident. I was just focused on the ball and hitting it with the proper technique. I scored from a similar position against Waterhouse. I worked on it in training, so it is my comfort zone,” he said coolly.
While he was happy with his performance and the win, the man who has been in and out of the national team says he has work to do to become a fixture in that unit.
“I would have loved to be part of the Caribbean Cup squad, but that is how it is. Sometimes you are in, sometimes you are out. I will just leave it at that. I won’t complain. I just have to keep doing the work that the coach may see me.
“I would like to be in it, so I will have to do the work. The coach emphasised the importance of fitness, so I have to work on that,” he pledged.
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