FRUSTRATIONS all around for football fans in the country after the national men’s team failed their MSG PM Cup title defense to Papua New Guinea on home soil.
Solomon Islands finished the tournament in third place with four points following victories over Vanuatu and the national development squad.
The 3-2 defeat to PNG on match day four of competitions saw a change in momentum for the national team who would go on to loss 3-1 to Fiji in their final match of the MSG tournament on Saturday.
The loss to Fiji was the national teams’ 9th loss from their last 12 matches and is also Head Coach Josh Smith’s (who was handed the job just three months ago), sixth defeat from nine games, since taking up the Head Coach role in September.
PHOTO: Results of the national men’s team matches under Head Coach Josh Smith.
“To be honest, I thought we were ready for these types of moments,” Coach Smith said after their loss to Fiji.
“I think we had an opportunity against Papua New Guinea probably to take something out of that game or even to win this one but we struggled to defend and then we didn’t create enough opportunities.
PHOTO: Australian Josh Smith took up the Head Coach job in September following the departure of former Head Coach, Spaniard Felipe Vega Arango to Papua New Guinea early this year.
“Look, I think for me it’s about, you know, the tournament’s been great, you know, because I’ll be able to see a lot more of players that I previously couldn’t use maybe in the qualifiers.
“We’re building depth, but I think we lack experience, and you can probably see that in key moments. It’s a very young team tonight, I think.
PHOTO: Rovu Boyers had a brilliant tournament in his debut appearance with the national team
“It’s probably the youngest starting lineup that we’ve put out since I’ve been here. It’s a positive, but then again, you know, you really want some of the other guys to step up and, you know, be a bit bigger in some bigger moments, but we’re just not.
“So like I said, it’s a good opportunity to see some new players and help them on their journey and we’re starting this process again of building the next generation of the Solomon Islands national team,” he said.
Despite being disappointed in not being able to get the results the country wants, Coach Smith said from what he’s seen so far, the future looks bright for football in the country.
“Yeah, I think this has kind of been the theme of our tournament so far, especially the first half not starting well except for the game against Vanuatu. I just said to them, at the end of the day, you’ve got to believe that you can go out there and do something.
PHOTO: Solomon Islands first 11 line up for the national anthem before their match
“I said, if we get the first goal..you know, the momentum will change and the whole game will look completely different.
“But you have to work hard, you have to win your tackles, you have to make your passes.
“I just don’t think we did that well enough in the first half. And like I said, most of the games that we started, we haven’t started well.
‘The positive is that they finished the half, even though, you know, we considered the third goal pretty early, which was devastating.
PHOTO: Fiji players celebrate a goal
“You know, but there was moments, you know, of really nice football and some really good things. So, look, I think there’s plenty of positive signs of the future.
“I’m obviously bitterly disappointed that I can’t produce better results at the moment for the nation. But I think the future is bright and I think I just have to continue to give me, for that to give me energy and continue to work with these boys and improve them,” the coach said.
“Rovu Boyers I think is probably the standout player of the tournament, in my opinion. Martin (Koto) got his first start tonight, probably was a little bit overwhelmed at times, but you can see signs of, you know, good signs there.
PHOTO: 19-year-old Martin Koto made his debut for the senior national team.
“I think I needed Atkin and Carlos to come on in the second half and kind of settle things down and they did.
“But yeah, it’s just that lack of consistency, maybe in the starting lineup that we weren’t able to get across the line and look, to be honest, I think we really missed William Komasi at the back tonight as well.
“Very strong defender and he’s been very good for us in the last couple of games, but look, we need to build on these moments.
PHOTO: Defender William Komasi was not available during the Fiji vs Solomon Islands match on Saturday.
“It’s a good experience for them. We’re very young still, but yeah, hopefully we’ll come back next year, a bit stronger,” Coach Joshua Smith said.
While the future of football in the country might look bright, every football fans in the country for now will have to cope with all the frustrations 2024 has brought to the sport we all love, look ahead and hope for a prosperous New Year, 2025.
