Relief for Norman Manley despite wasted chances

THE REACTIONS to describe Norman Manley High School’s head coach Shane Gage were relief and a sense of satisfaction after their narrow 1-0 win over Tarrant High in their Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/Digicel Manning Cup football game at Maxfield Park yesterday.

Trevaughnie Whitfield scored in the 22nd minute, weaving his way through the Tarrant team’s penalty area to slot home past goalkeeper Robert Mullings and get their campaign back on track, after their opening defeat to St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS).

While there were many jangling nerves in the waning moments as Norman Manley missed multiple chances of extending their slim advantage, Gage said that while getting the result was vital for their confidence, he was pleased with the performance of his team.

“It was a little bit of both. I can’t say that I was not frustrated about the chances, because that would have been a better result for us. It would have been an advantage for our side. But we wanted to focus on the result,” Gage said.

The missed chances included Whitfield seeing his 27th-minute penalty cannon off the crossbar, much to the dismay of the team, leading to a tense finish in the final moments.

However, Gage is confident in their ability to be more clinical, now that they have secured their first three-point take of the season.

WINNING STREAK

“Whatever needs to be done, (later) our team will take note of that and we are going to make the necessary adjustments. We are now on a winning streak and I hope that we can continue,” Gage said.

It was not a welcome return to Maxfield Park for Tarrant High’s head coach, Alrick Clarke, who had guided Norman Manley to title successes in the past. Clarke said that he was displeased with the attacking display of his team - which opened with a win against Spanish Town High owing to key absences.

“We were not attacking as we trained. We missed three players who were instrumental in that win (for disciplinary reasons). I think it took away something from us,” Clarke said.

Norman Manley’s missed opportunities kept Tarrant alive for the majority of the game and Clarke was adamant that they have to improve to prevent a slide in form.

“We just have to keep working. We experienced things we didn’t expect. All we have to do is go back and work, and hopefully we can move away from the sort of situation that we find ourselves in now,” Clarke said. “We were still in the game up to the final whistle, but it is what it is.”

daniel.wheeler@gleanerjm.com

Yesterday’s Results

Norman Manley 1, Tarrant High 0

STATHS 5, Dunoon 0

*Jonathan Grant vs Spanish Town was rained out