Audley Boyd, Assistant Editor - Sport

Waterhouse's coach, Wayne Fairclough. - File

FOOTBALL is so important to the rhythm of the Waterhouse community that it forced a coaching substitution in the flagship area team participating in the Cash Plus Premier League.

And, if only for the moment, Wayne Fairclough's return has scored big time on both flanks, proving how perfect a catalyst the sport is for the Drewsland community.

While the football team suffered on and away from the terraces of Waterhouse Mini Stadium and languished closer to the bottom rung in the national league, guns barked and lives were snuffed out as rivals in the community went about settling their differences in a bad way.

All that has changed since Fairclough, nicknamed 'Kunta', replaced Peruvian Danilo Barrigga at the helm .

Kunta's impact

In five matches back, the impact of Kunta - who has been coaching for 30 years since starting out with SDC league team Zion United before moving to Kingston Technical High (KTHS) - is obviously taking shape with four victories and a draw that put the team on 23 points, third behind Tivoli Gardens (24) and leaders Portmore United (28), over whom the 'Firehouse' crew secured an important 1-0 win two Sundays ago.

"The coach a gwaan good, is a good man fe come back inna the place. You have a good feeling with the coach who is there now and the community will come out and support him. Him a say one yah now," say a supporter with whom The Gleaner spoke while checking out views on several 'corners' in the Waterhouse community.

The resident, who made it clear he doesn't know Fairclough 'personally', added: "The coach is great, him a perform and it looks like the players are giving him the support, and the community is getting back together and suppor-ting the football. Anything to do with the football the community is behind it."