‘We paid the consequences,’ admits Patrick after Manning Cup loss
KINGSTON, Jamaica — St Catherine High shot themselves in the foot yet again, this time maybe fatally, when another slow start cost them three points in their first quarterfinal game in the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup competition on Friday.
Having started their previous three games slowly, the last of which cost them three points against Kingston College in their final group game of the first round, head coach Anthony Patrick was hoping that his team would have put that major problem behind them.
However, as it turned out, they were at it again against St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) on Saturday which resulted in a devastating 1-4 loss to begin the quarterfinals.
Patrick admitted that the problems for his team began from virtually the first whistle of the game and that they paid the consequences.
“All the problems started from the start of the game. This is the worst start for us all season. We always start slow, but this was the worst one today and as you can see, we paid the consequence.”
But Patrick does not intend to dwell on the loss as they will face Mona High for the second time this season following on a 0-0 draw earlier in the first round.
He knows what he will come up against when he faces Mona, who also lost their opening quarterfinal game to champions Jamaica College and he is planning a shakeup of his team for that key encounter.
“We just have to shrug off this and get back to the training ground quickly and see if we can come up with the right mix for the next game.
“The few senior players that we have in our lineup were really, really awful and it cost us dearly. So, we will be looking at that to see if we can put in some more youngsters that will be here for next year and 2023.”
Patrick is hoping that a change in personnel will result in a better performance and three points to keep their semifinal hopes alive.
“Hopefully they will come in and make a big impact for themselves and we can make a big push and see where we go from there.”
Three points will keep the reigning Walker Cup champions in the Manning Cup hunt, but any other result could mean the end of their season.
