Head coach targeting improvement after a successful 2025

After piloting his team to second position in the Barbados Football Association’s Premier League last season and fourth in the knockout competition, coach of the Brittons United team Richard Forde, hopes to build on that success in 2026.

Brittons Hill have begun the new league season on the backfoot, following a 2-1 loss to Kickstart Rush on the opening night of the season. They took an early lead in that encounter, before conceding two quick goals.

Forde told Barbados TODAY they have already put that result behind them and are focused ahead of Sunday’s game against UWI Blackbirds, which is expected to be another tough encounter.

“Well what I can say is that I didn’t think that we played that badly in that game to lose 2-1. I think we kept the ball well, but one thing I understand about football is that chances win matches, and I didn’t think that we took our chances well. That’s something that we went back to the drawing board to correct. We went back to the training ground and we started to work on that.

“I should see much more improvement, but I think that the boys handled themselves well, just that they didn’t put away their chances. So on Sunday we should be looking to now make sure that we get the ball into the back of the net as often as possible,” Forde said.

Forde admitted that he was still tweaking his team’s structure and style following the opening round of games. 

“Like most teams, you’re still getting your squads together after the start and the new arrivals and departures of a number of players.

“You know before the first game that we played, we only had three training sessions. So you know  you can’t ask the boys to do what they’re accustomed to doing under such circumstances,” the head coach explained.

“Yes we had a couple of players who have left the club, so we’re trying now to make sure that we can gel them together as much as possible, play as many games that we can, and have them join the training sessions to bring everybody together so that they would understand how each other plays.

“It’s a work in progress, but I think that we are going along pretty well and I’m kind of happy with what I’m seeing. I think we will be there or thereabouts when the bell rings,” he added.

Forde said with new faces in the squad, getting the right mix moving forward will be critical.

“We have a number of young players who have joined the club, including a 15-year-old. He’s one that I really have my eyes on and we’re taking him along with us in the Premier League this season, because I think he can go into the team. We also have a young goalkeeper who’s 17 years old. That is one of the areas in which we’re trying to build the club out with, with a number of young players coming in.

“The mix with the older players and the younger players, you know sometimes it takes a little bit more time than you have, but we understand that they have to get this thing together and get it right as soon as possible,” Forde said.

He, however,  remained optimistic about the challenge he faces this season in the club’s bid for silverware.

“Well, for me, every tournament that we’re going into we’re always going in with a positive attitude you know, we’re going with a positive attitude to win. That’s what it’s all about, you know, the growth and the development of the team as a whole,” Forde said.

“As time goes by, one game for me does not determine the season. I know this team will grow, and I know it will grow in significant numbers and in their performance, that is something that I know that for sure that will happen. I’m not too worried about the first game.”

Forde’s mantra is that long term success is built in practice sessions and he’s urging his players to remain focused.

“I always knew the first game would have been one of those games which would be tough. As I said to you, we had three training sessions before that game and my biggest concern is, as I keep saying to the players, if we really want to make sure that the football is decent and that we can bring people to watch the games, we must come out and practice as often as possible.

“The numbers at practice have grown and now that we have a number of players coming, we try to encourage them to continue to train. From here and now, it’s the business end, so everybody knows that it is time to pull their socks up and get the job done,” Forde said.

The Brittons Hill vs UWI Blackbirds game is the second of Sunday’s triple header at the BFA Technical Centre.

The opening game at 4 p.m. sees St. Andrew Lions facing Bagatelle in a battle of newly promoted teams. Both teams lost their opening games and will be aiming to bounce back in a winning way. In the nightcap game at 8 p.m., defending champions Weymouth Wales play Wotton. Wales defeated Bagatelle 2-0 in the opening game of the season, while Wotton were beaten 3-1 by Ellerton on Tuesday.