Humble Lions find midfield maestro

It has taken some time for Humble Lions' roving midfielder Courtney Hill to find his feet in his first season in the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL).

But, on Sunday the former Old Harbour High student showed why he is so highly rated at Effortville, after he turned in a dominant performance in his team's 2-1 win over Tivoli Gardens at the Edward Seaga Complex.

The 22-year-old midfielder ran rings around the Tivoli Gardens midfield and combined well with Andrew Vanzie and Renae Lloyd to control, especially, the second half of the game.

Hill left the island as a youngster in 2013 for the US, where he attended the Greece Olimpia high. After leaving school he represented FC Internaxionale in the Caribbean Americas Soccer association (CASA) Super League, where he helped them to reach the final last season.

It was during one of those games that he was spotted by a member of the Humble Lions management team, who invited him to come and play for the club from Clarendon.

Although just coming to the fore at the Premier League level, Hill, who played for Old Harbour Bay in the Clarendon/St Catherine Super League last season but did not finish because he had to return to the US, has now settled in the RSPL and has started to show his qualities.

"This is my first year for Humble Lions. I am actually based in Florida. I was playing CASA (super league) and my team went to the final and somebody from Humble Lion saw me, contacted me and said they wanted me to play for Humble Lions," he recalled.

He admitted that initially he lacked confidence and was way off his game, and he credits coach Andrew Price for getting him back on track.

"The first two games, I didn't think I would make it because I had no confidence. Then coach talked to me and build my confidence and told me to go out and free my mind and do what I want to do on the field. It's coming, I'm improving because I have been training hard, working hard and giving my best," he said.

With his confidence growing and his game improving, the young midfielder has set a few objectives he hopes to achieve. "I want to accomplish a call-up for the national team. I want to play good in the Premier League and show my talent what I can do and get a national call-up, and I know I can, all I have to do is just work hard and keep up the standard that I have set and continue to play my best," he said.

The player, who has been featured on ESPN SportsCenter top 10 plays with a free kick he scored in the CASA Super league, says Humble Lions are yet to realise that he is also an expert with the dead ball. But he believes, like everything else for him, in time it will be revealed.

"When I use to play for FC Internaxionale, I had a goal on ESPN number one, I scored a free kick and was the number one player of the week. But I don't think they have seen it (dead ball ability), that's why they haven't given me any free kick but as time goes by it will happen.

"But I hope to make my mark in the Premier League this season and no later than this season. I feel like we can win the league, because we have a solid team," he said.