KC hunt Manning Cup win against Jose Marti
After recording one of the biggest wins in Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association/Wata Manning Cup football history last week, many-time champions Kingston College (KC) will be looking to make another statement when they take on Jose Marti at Stadium East, starting at 3:00 this afternoon.
Last season’s beaten semi-finalists avoided embarrassment in their opening group game of Zone C, when they came from behind to draw 2-2 with Penwood High last Monday.
However, they bounced back with authority on Saturday with a dominant 18-0 win over Cumberland High.
Head Coach Vassell Reynolds says he has been pleased with the team’s attitude as they look to achieve higher objectives.
“One of the things I lauded the team for is the manner in which they put the disappointing result of Penwood behind them. We had a few days to recover and they did that well, mentally. The other thing I would have learnt is they were really focused over 90 minutes of the Cumberland game,” he said.
“Normally, teams at this level, when you score and recognise that you playing against a weak opponent and you score nine goals in the first 40 minutes, you tend to drop your guard and become complacent but the intent of the boys was good because they decided that they were going back on the pitch and maintain a high level of commitment and professionalism and scored another nine goals so I was impressed with that.”
Jose Marti have started the campaign well and are tied with KC on 4 points, after a win and a draw against Meadowbrook and Campion, respectively.
Reynolds says the boys from North Street will need to step up their levels for the contest.
“ It’s going to be a tougher encounter for us than the last game without disrespecting our opponents. But clearly, I want us to create opportunities because you won’t score if you don’t create opportunities. We have been doing throughout, we did that in the Penwood game and in the Cumberland game, albeit the level of the opponent,” he said.
“One of the things we’re working to correct is to consistently play well. The consistency in terms of the performance throughout the 90 minutes is one of the things we’ve been working on and hopefully, we can improve on that, if not get it perfectly right against Jose Marti.”
Other games of note will see defending champions Mona High hosting Tarrant, and last season’s beaten finalists St George’s College entertaining Norman Manley High.
TUESDAY’S GAMES
Kingston College vs Jose Marti @ Stadium East
Mona vs Tarrant @ Mona High
St George’s vs Norman Manley @ St George’s College
Penwood vs Cumberland @ Maverley Field
Charlie Smith vs Gaynstead @ Charlie Smith High
Campion vs Meadowbrook @ Campion College
Papine vs Holy Trinity @ Papine High
Jonathan Grant vs Waterford @ Jonathan Grant High