Former champions Frome Technical have set their sights on “at least doing better than last year” when they start their quest in the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) daCosta Cup this week.

Frome Technical, the 2003 champions and semi-finalists in 2018, start their campaign on September 17 when they host Merlene Ottey High.

They had a disappointing run last year, failing to capitalise on a good start after winning their first three games before losing to Rusea’s High.

They managed to advance from the first round, but their season fizzled and they were knocked out of the daCosta Cup and then the Ben Francis Cup Knockout. But second-year Coach Cleighton Stephens says they hope to improve on that this year.

Despite saying they had more time to prepare last season, Stephens thinks this year’s crop of players should give a good account of themselves.

“Yes, we lost some players who we would love to have this year,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

“But we have players who will fill those areas for us, so we are confident.”

One of the players Stephens is hoping will step up is Javel Clarke, who scored five goals last year, but played in the shadows of the likes of Fabian Forbes, now plying his trade with Montego Bay United.

Other prominent players from last season were Dujon Brown and Jameel Gayle.

“This year’s team is much bigger. We should easily advance from the first round,” he noted.

Frome Technical plays in Zone B and they will face many-time former winners Rusea’s High, along with Green Island High, Merlene Ottey High and Hopewell High.

Last week, Frome Technical drew 2-2 against Cornwall College in a preseason practice game played in Montego Bay. Stephens said this was a good sign for his team, which was without two starters. He also said they had not been able to train consistently in the last few weeks, due in part to poor weather.