'Urban schools have the edge in attack'

Garvey Maceo High's coach, Merron Gordon, has weighed in on the urban versus rural schoolboy football debate. He strongly believes the rural schools are good in defence but urban schools have better players in forward positions.

"My belief is that urban schools have better players in attacking positions. Over the years schools in Kingston and St Andrew have always been able to find two or three attacking players while in the rural areas we are more blessed with midfielders and defenders. There will be greater balance whenever we are able to bridge that gap," he told The Gleaner last Friday.

"Nobody is afraid ... If that was true then when we (Garvey Maceo) went down early (to St George's College in the Champions Cup last Friday) we would have got 6-0. We would have rolled over. But if you really do the history of what happens in this competition it is always the big name players who come up trumps for their schools," he added.

Gordon said Cornwall College came close to lifting the Champions Cup in 2015 when they had two outstanding players in striker Jourdain Fletcher and midfielder Peter Lee Vassell.

"If we (rural schools) can find another Cornel Learmond or Jourdain Fletcher, we will be on par. Cornwall came very close because they had a prolific striker (Fletcher) with midfielder Peter Lee (Vassell) and that was the difference."

MORE EXPERIENCE

He added that urban players also gain a lot more experience playing club football while most rural players' experience is confined to mainly school football

"Urban players play a lot more football. Most of these (rural) schoolboys have never played for another team. An average urban player plays football for a club from Under-10, so the amount of football being played is also an issue and the game is the best teacher no matter how good a coach you are. Every coach wants good players. When you have average players you have to work hard as a coach and we (rural coaches) have to work twice as hard because we have average players," he argued.

Just two rural schools, Cornwall College and St Elizabeth Technical, have advanced to the quarter-finals of the ISSA Champions Cup following last weekend's round of 16.

Champions Cup quarter-finals

- Cornwall vs Camperdown

- St George's vs St Andrew Technical

- St Elizabeth Technical vs Charlie Smith

- Jamaica College vs Holy Trinity