Jamaica's captain, Ricardo Gardner, in action against Canada on Wednesday evening.- Ian Allen/Staff Photographer

AFTER THE Reggae Boyz's failure to qualify for the final round of the CONCACAF South Africa 2010 World Cup, coach Theodore Whitmore and captain Ricardo Gardner took the time out to say thanks to sponsors, the media and fans for their support, and said that the team tried its best.

Speaking at a press conference after the team's elimination on Wednesday night despite spanking Canada 3-0 at the National Stadium, Whitmore, who was in charge of the second half of the qualifying campaign, and will now make way for former England international, Jamaica-born John Barnes, said he and the team tried their best, and while they were unsuccessful, they appreciated everyone's support.

"We tried our best given the circumstances. Unfortunately, it was not good enough. But I am proud of the guys and how we conducted ourselves in the last three games and I think if Jamaicans can take anything from the failure, it is the fact that we fought right until the end," said Whitmore.

"We want to thank you for the support we got from everyone and want to assure you that football will remain alive and well in this country, despite this setback," he said.

praised supporters

The press conference, which was attended by local, regional and international journalists, some of whom hailed from as far as South Africa, also saw Gardner heaping praise on supporters.

"I would like to say a big thank you to all those who supported the campaign. From the sponsors, to the media, to spectators. I want to let you know that we did our best," he said.

"You were there for us throughout the qualifiers and we hope that, despite this setback, you will be there for us in the future. We really need your continued support. We tried for 2010, but 2014 is not that far, and if we can start putting things in place from now we could do much better then," Gardner declared.

But what about the game itself, which saw the Boyz falling four goals short of qualifying for the next round? Did the team play up to its potential, or was the task too big?

Whitmore said it was a mixture of both, as everyone was aware of the situation and kept abreast of what was happening throughout the night.

"We knew what we had to do and, as such, I started with our most in-form strikers," said Whitmore. "The aim was to get as many goals as we could before halftime and then go for it in the second half.

"We were always keeping abreast of the Honduras-Mexico match (which went 1-0 in Honduras' favour).

"As a result, in the second half, when we realised that the goals were not coming as we wanted, we tried to bolster the attack with a couple of changes up front. Unfortunately it was not enough," he said.

The Boyz will now turn their attention to the eight-nation Digicel Caribbean Championships, which will be held here in two weeks' time. The Championship is a qualifier for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which will be held next year, and Jamaica is expected to field relatively strong teams for the event.

Theodore Whitmore ... We want to thank you for the support we got from everyone, and want to assure you that football will remain alive and well in this country, despite this setback. -File