STATHS set sights on topping Zone D

Philip Williams, coach of last year’s beaten semi-finalists St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS), says they will be leaving nothing to chance as they set their sights on finishing at the summit of Zone D of the ISSA/Manning Cup competition.

STATHS, who are favourites to win the zone, will compete alongside Jonathan Grant High, Norman Manley High, Spanish Town High, Dunoon Park Technical High and Tarrant High for top honours.

Williams told The Gleaner that they will not be taking any of the teams in the zone lightly due to the fact that a number of teams in the zone are making a return to competition for the first time since 2020.

“We are taking nothing for granted because there are a lot of unknowns due to the fact that many teams were out last year and are re-entering the competition,” said Williams.

“We will be going out there to give it our best shot no matter who our opponents are and to ensure that we collect three points at all times,” he said.

“I have seen Dunoon Park Technical and they are a very decent team, but most of these players have not played a lot of football for the past three years and so the playing field might be level all round in the competition,” Williams said.

Tarrant and Spanish Town are the teams in this zone who were absentees from last year’s competition.

STATHS have been one of the most consistent teams in the Manning Cup over the past five years. They have played in two Manning Cup finals and five semi-finals in that period.

Williams pointed out that his team will enter this year’s competition on the back of winning the ISSA Under-16 competition last season and therefore his players are ready and raring to go.

“Our team is geared to go as far as possible in the competition every year and our ambition is to give a good account of ourselves and if that takes us to the final, then so be it,” he said.

“The make-up of this squad is the same set of youngsters who were just in the Under-16 competition last year but although they are young, they are a very dangerous unit who play a very good brand of football,” Williams said.

“They have been playing together for a while and so they do know each other and it is a very tight team that will play attractive football,” he said.