Western Bureau:

The saying, 'one swallow does not make a summer,' was the farthest thing from the minds of many football fans in Montego Bay on Wednesday morning as they celebrated Jermaine 'Tuffy Anderson's heroic performance for Jamaica in the country's World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica hours earlier.

According to the elated fans, especially those from Granville - Anderson's hometown, his performance justified their belief that, had he been given a chance earlier in the campaign, instead of being on the verge of bowing out of the campaign, Jamaica probably would be alive and bubbling and well on the way to a place in Brazil 2014.

Earlier in the campaign, some of Anderson's fans in Montego Bay staged a demonstration in Sam Sharpe Square, calling on previous coach, Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore, his then deputy, the Brazilian Alfredo Montessor; and The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) technical committee, to draft him into the team.

Confidence

Despite the many calls for Anderson's selection, I must admit I was not among those calling, albeit I knew him to be a gutsy player with a lot of ability, self-belief and confidence from his days at St James High School, where I was a sports master during the time he attended as a student.

After watching Anderson's inability to break into the national set-up in his 20s when I thought he was in his prime, I was of the view that, at age 30 plus, he had seen better days. In addition, because of my lack of respect for the Red Stripe NPL, I did not place a lot of credence on his performance in this league.

However, after watching the 22 minutes he played against Costa Rica and the stunning impact he had on the game, I can't help but concede that, maybe if the coaching staff had listened to those calling for his inclusion, he could have made a big difference to our fortunes, especially in the goalscoring department.

Even if one could ignore the goal he scored, albeit that it came against arguably the best team in CONCACAF at this time, Anderson's real strength was his self-belief and the hunger for success, which has been basically not in evidence with the vast majority of the players we have used.

'warrior spirit'

In his short time on the pitch, Anderson evoked memories of the 'warrior spirit', which we saw from the likes of Stephen 'Shorty' Malcolm, Peter Cargill, Linval Dixon, Onandi Lowe and Ian 'Pepe' Goodison in the 1998 campaign. That, I believe, was what made the team look more purposeful when he joined the action.

As one who was not fond of the old 1970s Brazilian style, which the team played in the earlier stages of the competition, I believe the attacking style of new coach Winfried 'Winnie' Schäefer is like a breath of fresh air as while he is yet to win a game, with the team now going more forward than backward, the winning intent is obvious.

While I have basically given up hope in regards to the team making it to Brazil, I believe I have learnt one important lesson from this campaign and that is, one should never write off anybody without first giving them an opportunity. Anderson proved me right and I basically have no choice but to admit it.

Going forward, I believe the JFF and the PLCA should take serious steps to strengthen the Red Stripe NPL, possibly through the creation of a franchise system, which would hopefully attract overseas players. I believe, with a better NPL, persons like me will develop a greater appreciation for the local game.

Ps. feel free to send your feedback to

adrianfrater@hotmail.com