STATHS-Tivoli matchup ends in stalemate
LAST SEASON’S runners-up St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) went into their Group B ISSA Manning Cup game against Tivoli Gardens High School eyeing a win but could only manage a 1-1 draw at Ashenheim Stadium yesterday.
However, head coach Philip Williams thought his team was fortunate to come away with a point rather than a loss.
STATHS have two draws from two matches and Williams said there is much fine-tuning to be done in attack. But he anticipates that performances and results in the group will be unpredictable, even though Tivoli (four points) are one of the group favourites at this early stage of the season.
“We had a poor game i n all t he departments,” Williams said. “We didn’t play our normal passing game, and part of it had to do with the pressing by Tivoli. They did well and I think we were lucky to get away with a point. Tivoli really pushed us.
“But there is going be inconsistency in the quality of play and results. Most teams are at the same level, with young first timers at the Manning Cup.
“So you cannot count any team out, and any team can surprise you. But Tivoli has four points from two games, so definitely they are a team to watch.”
Even though he thinks consistency may affect his young team, he is convinced they can get it right.
“I am confident of what they can do, it is just a matter of doing it consistently. We have to get it right, each match is like a final, there is no return leg, so a draw is like a loss. But we feel confident we can put together some wins and we will be working towards that,” Williams said.
“Our play in the final third needs improving and if you are not putting personnel and bodies in the right areas or making the right runs, we will always have difficulty finding the net. So it is something we are focused on getting right.”
Tivoli co-coach Jermaine Johnson said hard work makes the difference for his team. While they are motivated by the positive start, he says they are taking it one game at a time and not getting ahead of themselves.
“It was a hard-fought game from both sides,” Johnson said. “We just tried to come and get the win, but it was a really hard fight.
“We are lacking fitness to be able to attack and win as many second balls as possible, but when we get back to training we will sort that out. It is a positive start and I am grateful to the players and coaching staff,” he said.
Tivoli have not been to the Manning Cup play-offs for over a decade now, and have struggled to collect even wins over the last two seasons. However, Johnson and another Tivoli legend, Christopher Nicholas, are hoping to restore some of their alma mater’s former glory.
“The ambition is to go as far as we can,” Johnson said. “But we just have to take it a step at a time. For the next game, we want to stay positive to get the win. We also want to try to get a clean sheet because we are still to get a clean sheet. But this is the way we want to go, although we are going to take it a step at a time and see if we can get a win for the next game.”
The game, which was settled by two penalties, saw STATHS settling first and looking more organised going forward. They took the lead in the 11th minute when a Tivoli defender handled the ball inside the area and Omar Laing converted from the spot.
Tivoli were resilient throughout and created a few openings but rarely showed the quality needed to break down the St Andrew defence. STATHS then regained control of the midfield and pushed Tivoli back. But Tivoli stayed strong in defence and limited the chances to trail 1-0 at the break.
However, Tivoli started the second half brightly and made a number of good forays forward, and six minutes into the half, they were rewarded when a STATHS defender fouled a Tivoli attacker in the area, and the referee awarded a penalty. Charleston Williams calmly converted for the equaliser.
STATHS regained the ascendency afterwards but found the stubborn Tivoli defence, led by Romario Haynes, difficult to breach.
In the other early games, Camperdown beat Jose Marti 3-0. Excelsior stopped Dunoon 6-1, while Jonathan Grant scored a 1-0 win over St Jago High School in the Spanish Town derby.