Tactical adjustments made the difference for Frome Technical
FROME Technical created a massive upset last Thursday when they upstaged Munro College in the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) Ben Francis Cup quarter-finals at the St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) Sports Complex.
The unfancied Frome team clipped the more fancied Munro 1-0 courtesy of a well-taken goal by Javel Clarke in the second half.
First-year Head Coach Cleighton Stephens says that the lessons learned from the last defeat in the dacosta Cup proved effective in gaining success against Munro.
“The last game we played, we lost. So, we went back to the drawing board, we played a practice game and we worked on a lot of stuff, so the guys were really ready,” he said.
Stephens explained an important tactical adjustment that enabled the win on Thursday.
“This time we didn’t play as high as we did in the previous game, so that’s why we really came out on top. That definitely made the difference.”
The goal scored by Clarke came as a surprise to his coach who thought the effort was lost just before he converted.
“It was an excellent goal. I am really surprised that he scored because I thought he was easing up. At half-time I told him that he has to go into his reserves, so I guess he put in the extra and got the goal,” said a smiling Stephens.
Stephens was the physical trainer when the team was coached by former Reggae Boy Aaron Lawrence but he has now taken over as head coach and says the success of the team is just as important to the school as it is to him.
“This is not just important for me, also to the school, so we had to fight for it.”
The semi-finals will be played on Tuesday and with the conditions being very hot on Thursday in the early kickoff, Stephens plans to prepare his players to face the same difficult circumstances in the final four.
“We see a lot of stuff to work on. It was very hot and we don’t know if the semi-final will be played in the sun again, so we have to prepare for that. It’s challenging conditions because we train after school when it’s cooler.”
Frome Technical will play STETHS in the semi-final at STETHS after the hosts beat Vere Technical 2-0 in the feature game at the venue last Thursday.