By Daraine Luton, Freelance WriterAFTER SCORING 46 goals in two seasons, Roen 'Bumpy' Nelson has hit a bad patch, finding it difficult to get the ball into his opponents net with the same degree of regularity as in 2002/2003.
The Portmore United striker is currently joint sixth with Tivoli Garden's Christopher Nicholas on the goalscoring chart.
Nelson and Nicholas have both scored nine goals apiece, behind leading lights Fabian Taylor of Harbour View (15), Kevin Lamey of Waterhouse (14), Rivoli's Pattrick Beech (12) and Kemar Mills of relegation threatened Seba United (10).
While conceding that he is concerned about Nelson's form, Portmore's coach Lenworth Hyde said 'Bumpy' has the ability to turn his fortunes around.
"It is a cause for concern but he is a player who is working very hard and I know he will turn it around. He will just have to continue working," Hyde said.
Nelson, whose 86th minute goal shattered Arnett Gardens' three-peat ideas in last year's championship game that then Hazard won 3-2, bagged four individual prizes at the end of last season.
He won awards for the Player of the Year, top scorer for the first and second preliminary rounds and the leading goalscorer's award. The 30 goals he scored marked a new chapter in NPL football, eclipsing Oneil 'Chippy' McDonald's 26 set in the 1995/96 season.
Hyde suggested that a lack of chemistry between Nelson and the newcomers at club might be a reason why Nelson seems to have taken a more conservative tally".
"We have some different midfielders and the team has changed dramatically. We just have to get those midfielders used to his movement off the ball. We are working on it," Hyde said.
Nelson supports his coach's theory.
"I was not with my team much so I did not get accustomed to my new teammates and they did not get accustomed to me," Nelson said.
He added that travelling with the national team during the NPL's off-season and playing in fewer pre-season games affected his form. The instinctive striker told The Gleaner that at the start of the season he did not set himself any target. Instead, his focus was directed towards the job he was asked to do - just score goals.
Asked if he was under pressure to deliver the goods at Portmore, Nelson responded by saying that he does not view people calling for him to score goals as a pressure situation. Instead he sees it as a demand of his duties.
"It is not a pressure, it is my job. People know what I can do so that is how they set their expectation," Nelson said.
The NPL's best marksman said that although he is not finding the goal with great regularity, he takes defenders with him and creates space for his teammates to do their work.
Meanwhile, with the second preliminary round gone past the halfway stage and with only the semi-finals and final to come, Nelson is still looking to score big. He has set himself a target of more than 20 goals, a feat he said would be difficult to achieve but not impossible.
