STATHS, Mona to battle for semi-final berth
Published:Friday | December 17, 2021 | 7:18 AMRobert Bailey/Gleaner Writer
A pulsating contest is expected when former champions St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) meet Mona High School to decide the final semi-final spot from Group One in the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup competition at Jamaica College today.
In the group’s other game, defending champions Jamaica College (JC) will oppose St Catherine High at the Stadium East field. Both matches start at 3 p.m.
JC, who have already advanced, lead the group with six points from two matches.
They are followed by STATHS and Mona, who are on three points each. However, a draw for STATHS will see them advancing ahead of Mona because of a better goal difference.
“We are pretty confident going into this game and we know what we need to do to either draw the game or to win,” STATHS head coach Philip Williams said. “Mona is a tough team because they are a very talented bunch with a very good coach that knows his way around in terms of putting a team together, so I am looking forward to a good encounter.”
STATHS, who are coming off a 5-3 defeat to JC in their last game, will rest their hopes in the hands of Omar Laing, who has scored 10 goals this season.
He is expected to receive support from his captain Omar Reid, who has eight goals this season.
Mona, who are coming off a 2-0 victory over St Catherine, are also confident.
“We looked at the statistics, and I think it favours us in terms of how STATHS perform against other teams,” Mona head coach Craig Butler said. “This is a must-win game and we are going to put in our best.
“We will be focusing on our style of play and to ensure that we continue in the same vein with the system that we have put in place and try to be an example for other schools to follow.”