Coaches brace for ‘tough’ STATHS vs Wolmer’s clash
ST Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) Coach Phillip Williams and Wolmer’s Boys’ Coach Jerome Waite are both bracing for a very tough encounter when the Group Three teams clash in the second round of the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association/Digicel Manning Cup competition on Friday.
The match, which is the curtain-raiser for a double-header at Stadium East field, is scheduled to begin at 2:00 pm. In the second match, defending champions Mona High are to take on St Jago in the Group One contest. Group One also includes St George’s College and Campion College.
Group Three, which is deemed a group of death, also includes last year’s beaten finalists Hydel High and Kingston College.
Only the top two teams from the group will advance to the quarter-finals of the competition.
STATHS, who made it to the quarter-finals last year, will enter the second round high on confidence, having finished atop Zone D in the preliminary round. They netted 36 goals while conceding a mere three.
Williams has admitted he does not know much about his opponents but says his team is prepared to fight very hard to get all three points.
“I haven’t seen them all season but when you look at their statistics, it is pretty impressive and so I would think that is going to be a tough game for us. The work has already been put in since summer, and we are confident that our preparations will equip us well for this game.”
He said they have assembled a young, but experienced team for this year’s competition.
“Most of them are youngsters playing at this level for the first time and so our confidence comes from our preparations, but our boys are raring to make an impact on this competition this season,” Williams pointed out.
Wolmer’s, on the other hand, will enter this round of the competition having finished second in Zone E with 25 points, two behind zone winners Tivoli Gardens High.
The Heroes’ Circle-based institution recorded eight wins, one draw, and a defeat from their 10 matches in the preliminary round. They netted 43 goals while conceding nine.
Waite said all matches in the group are going to be tough games, and therefore they have prepared themselves to do whatever it takes to ensure they secure a positive result with each outing.
“Everybody has to be ready because this is the second round… no games will be easy. Everybody looks at this group as the group of death so we are looking forward to a competitive second round,” he said.
“The first round is not the [real] round. The real round is the second round and so it is not going to be an easy task, and so we just have to go out there and do our best.
“They are a good team because they also have players that have played in the National Premier League, so they have a lot of experience in their team,” reasoned the Wolmer’s coach.
— Robert Bailey