STATHS take aim at second Manning title
ST ANDREW Technical High School (STATHS), winners of the Manning Cup in 1987, are eyeing a second title this year.
After an unbeaten run in the competition this year, STATHS are in the quarter-finals and in with a good shot at the title and other silverware.
STATHS’ Phillip Williams says that the team has met its goals so far.
“With each match, our objective gets higher. We see ourselves taking the Manning Cup, but we will take it one game at a time. We are focusing on what we have to do in each game to get the job done,” Williams told The Gleaner ahead of his team’s quarter-final , game against St Catherine High , today at Constant Spring.
“We have restructured from management down to the players. We are on a programme. Going into pre-season, one of the goals was to create a brand that when people see us playing football, they could say it is St Andrew Technical,” he shared.
SMALL GOALS
“Apart from that we had set some small goals in terms of reaching the second round and reaching the Walker Cup, which we have achieved so far, our next goal is to reach the Super Cup. Based on the adjustment by ISSA, we know that it is the top four in the Manning Cup that will play in the FLOW Super Cup,” Williams added.
“This year’s squad is a combination of under-16 players stepping up from Colts and senior Manning Cup players. Defensively, we are doing well, but it is an overall team effort that has led to us being unbeaten and keeping clean sheets,” he said.
“Jaedin White is very influential. He is one of the senior players, although he is very young and playing in the Manning Cup for three years. He was also the goalkeeper for Cavalier in the National Premier League play-offs and was the MVP in the KSAFA Super League last season. The players trust him between the sticks and follows his leadership on the pitch,” the coach pointed out.
White apart, the other leading players are David Smith, Noel Walker, André Smith, Barrington Bailey, Armani Reid, Geovanni Howell, Jevaughnie Johnson, who has scored six goals and John Henry.
Williams said that a lot of preparation was put in ahead of the competition.
“We had seen ourselves making a very deep run in the competition. We don’t consider any of the two quarter-final groups easy because it is the top eight in Manning Cup but we know how to accumulate points. We are very confident that at the end of the three matches, we will be there in the semi-finals,” Williams pointed out.