Keisha Hill, Staff Reporter

Spectators in the bleachers watch the Jamaica vs El Salvador football friendly as the Boyz made their 'Office' return on Sunday. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

For the first time in many moons, the National Stadium was filled to near capacity with over 20,000 spectators on hand to watch the Reggae Boyz cruise to a 3-0 win over Central American team, El Salvador, on Sunday.

Rudolf Austin put the Jamaicans in the lead at the 33rd minute, while captain Ricardo Gardner sent the massive crowd into a frenzy when he propelled his team further ahead in the 38th and 83rd minutes.

The fairly young El Salvadorian team was no match for the impressive Jamaicans, under the tutelage of interim coach and former national captain, Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore.

The Central Americans' luck sagged further in the 51st minute when Alfredo Pacheco was given marching orders for throwing an elbow, which struck Austin in the face.

A sea of yellow, green and a myriad of colours engulfed the National Stadium as jubilant spectators traveled from the four corners of the island to once again witness the spectacular performance of the 'Boyz' and experience the rejuvenation injected into the sport by the current Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) administration, led by Captain Horace Burrell.

Stalwarts in the sporting fraternity, government officials, the security forces, local and overseas media and sporting enthusiasts all turned out to witness Jamaica's first friendly match at home since the Reggae Boyz lost 0-1 to Chile on June 5, this year.

New Jff reliable, capable ...

An overwhelmed Carlos Campbell traveled into Kingston from the cool climes of central Manchester to watch the Reggae Boyz in action. He is optimistic that the new JFF administration is competent, reliable and capable of executing the changes necessary for football development and administration in Jamaica.

"The Jamaican people were hungry for good football, and based on the fact that the new administration has taken over and are knowledgeable of football, the Jamaican people are once again interested because they are reminded of the allure of World Cup 1998," Campbell said.

He added: "Basically, the joy and pride Jamaicans felt when the Reggae Boyz qualified for the World Cup has returned."

A resident of Kingston and football enthusiast, Keisha Smith, was enthralled that competitive football had at last returned to Jamaica.

"The last match I attended at the National Stadium wasn't this crowded. Then, people were annoyed at the poor level of football. We are thinking for this time around maybe this new administration might execute new changes."

She added: "The JFF has already started to improve its services by not selling tickets outside the stadium. Persons now have to go to the various ticket outlets to pre-purchase tickets. I think this new move is a good one."

Andrew Price, the coach of Cash Plus Premier League team Boys' Town, was pleased to see the forthrightness in which the JFF was moving to improve the level of football in Jamaica.

Fire relit

"We are used to these Reggae Boyz from the World Cup period and it has been a long time we haven't seen them, so the fact that we see them playing on home soil has re-lit the fire in the hearts of Jamaicans and football enthusiasts alike."

Following a brief press conference after the match, interim coach Theodore Whitmore dedicated the Reggae Boyz' victory in memory of late former national players, Peter Cargill and Stephen 'Shorty' Malcolm.

Malcolm died in a car accident only hours after playing Bulgaria in a friendly international in Kingston. Cargill, then coach of Waterhouse, was also killed in a road accident while on his way to a football match against Wadadah F.C. in Montego Bay.

"We want to thank all the persons who came out and supported the team. We are going to review today's game before we decide on the approach we will take with regard to Wednesday's friendly against Guatemala," Whitmore said.

The win was the first for the Reggae Boyz since their 2-0 win over Malaysia when a 22-man squad under the direction of former technical director, Velibor 'Bora' Multinovic, made a wretched four-game tour. They lost the other three matches 1-2 to Indonesia, 0-3 to Vietnam and 1-8 against Iran.