Fearless KTHS ready for ‘Goliath’ St George’s
St Mary’s College withdraw from competition
WITH BACK-TO-BACK wins that included the scalp of defending ISSA/Manning Cup champions, Jamaica College (JC), Kingston Technical High School (KTHS) head coach, Shaun Charlton, says his team is ready to earn their respect against the top teams in the country.
Meanwhile, an ISSA release late yesterday evening stated that the scheduled Group C match between St Mary’s College and Papine High will not take place at Ashenheim Stadium on the grounds of JC, as St Mary’s College has withdrawn from the competition. The ISSA said all their results are null and void.
St Mary’s College were trounced 26-0 by St. Catherine High in their second match, which was played last week Thursday at Spanish Town Prison Oval.
A TIGHT RACE
KTHS will f ace many-time champions St George’s College today at Stadium East playing field at 12:00 p.m., looking to maintain their slim lead atop Group A, which is turning into a tight race for the two qualifying spots for the second round.
KTHS bounced back from their season-opening loss to Charlie Smith High and are on a two-game winning streak, highlighted by their upset first-round victory over reigning champions JC at their home ground, a repeat of what happened in 2018 when the two teams met in group play.
Charlton says that the JC result has boosted their belief and removed any intimidation factor in playing any of the top schools.
“The most enjoyable part of it is that the youngsters’ confidence has been lifted since defeating the champions of 2019. Knowing that there was a history before when Kingston Technical defeated JC on their home turf in 2018, these young men set within themselves (a target), to make a name for themselves by doing what the team before them did,” Charlton told The Gleaner.
“It has propelled their confidence that they can go out and face any Goliath that is in front of them, being the youngest in the group.”
It is a mindset that Charlton says bodes well for their match against St George’s College, who are also on a two-game winning streak.
Group A is turning to be very competitive with KTHS leading the group on six points, but with a better goal difference (+5). St George’s and Charlie Smith are also on six points, but have an inferior goal difference, while Calabar High and JC are on four points each.
TRUSTING THEIR PATH
While acknowledging the strength that the ‘Light Blues’ from North Street possess, Charlton says that they intend to trust in their own path for them to gain the respect that they deserve as a team that can contend in a competitive field.
“What we intend to do is to continue on our journey that we set out from day one. We will treat every team with respect, but we want to be respected just the same as a small team in this competition. So we are here to work hard,” Charlton said.
Meanwhile, St George’s assistant coach, Marcel Gayle, while pleased at the progress of his squad so far following their 1-0 win over Bridgeport on Saturday, said it was vital that there is no drop of form because of how competitive the group has become.
“This is a very tight group. We have to go out there every match and try to do our best, and hopefully we can get a positive result,” Gayle said. “This is one of the seasons where anything can happen, but I think we have been playing better each game we have played.”
Calabar will f ace Kingston High in the second game of the double-header at Stadium East at 3:00 p.m., while Bridgeport will seek their first win of the season against Charlie Smith at Spanish Town Prison Oval, at 3:00 p.m.