Kevin Blackford has recently come of age. Scoring Tivoli Garden’s first goal and setting up the second in their 3-1 win over Reno in the last round of the Cash Plus Premier League, the attacking midfielder is now well and truly an important player in top-flight football.

Hailing from St. Thomas, Blackford’s claim to fame, at least initially, was that he is the brother of acclaimed midfielder Jermaine Hue. He first played for White Horses in St. Thomas, before moving to Berlin where he played in the Super League.

Fortunately or unfortunately, whichever way you choose to look at it, Berlin voluntarily dropped out of the competition and left the midfielder without a team.

Coming to Kingston, Blackford initially tried to get into the Harbour View lineup but that didn’t work out. With coaches he was familiar with at Tivoli, it wasn’t surprising that the 22-year-old turned up for training there two seasons ago.

Not much was seen of his talent in his first season with Tivoli and he found it tough to break into the first team. However, this season, Tivoli has gone through a few changes and some of the notorious names there have moved on.

With voids left in the team, Blackford was given the opportunity to break into the squad and further to earn for himself a few starts. He has grabbed that opportunity with both hands.

Blackford isn’t just a player on the roster anymore. Now the midfielder plays an integral part in the team’s performances and as a matter of fact, is almost a sure starter these days.

Blessed with a knack for the game that comes from growing up in a household that breathes football, as Hue had already made a name for himself. It didn’t hurt that Hue’s father was also a footballer of no small ability.

With the national team in a similar position to Tivoli, maybe the name Blackford might one day become one of those to be etched on the back of a gold Jersey.

Before that though, Blackford has to focus on trying to get Tivoli a title. Presently Tivoli is doing very well. With Portmore United going away recently, ‘the garden party’ is well and truly jumping, as they have taken over the leadership of the competition and could make things difficult for the St. Catherine team, which trails them very closely.

If Blackford continues to play the way he has recently, Portmore might find that they don’t stand a chance of winning the league. Tivoli, after having goalscoring troubles initially are now well and truly over that hump and Blackford, a strong, hard-working player, not in the make of his brother, has had much to do with it.

The two players are like cheese and chalk. While Hue ooses with elegance and beauty, Blackford rages with aggression and hard work. While Hue will not add much to a team defensively, Blackford is the first player, running around the park and making things difficult for his opponents. If he continues in this vein, then the SPOTLIGHT won’t be the last place you’ll see this name.