STATHS reign supreme in U16 final

St Andrew Technical High (STATHS) are the 2024 ISSA Grace Mighty Malt U16 Urban Area champions after defeating Excelsior High 1-0 in the tightly contested final played yesterday at Stadium East.

A first-half strike from Kelvin Brown was all it took for STATHS as they proved just too much to handle for the Eagles from Mountain View Road.

STATHS head coach, Anthony Bennett, praised his team for their tenacity as they were locked in end-to-end action against their opponents throughout the contest.

“I’ve said it before, this is a fighting team and they showed that again today. They fought to the end and I’m very proud of the guys.”

STATHS wasted little time to get on the scoreboard as they found purchase in the fifth minute after a quick start to the game.

Brown was in the right place at the right time to fire home a loose ball in the box after a scramble in front of goal off a corner delivery.

The boys from Bumper Hall would continue to press their opponents and came close to their second in the second half.

A counterattack saw Kirk King free in the box but his header from close range crashed against the bar before being recovered by Excelsior’s goalkeeper.

The Eagles grew into the contest throughout the second half and nearly got an equaliser on the hour mark.

A cushioned volley outside the box from Christopher McDonald sailed just inches wide of the bar which sparked a flurry of attacks from Excelsior.

The last opportunity of the game fell to STATHS. However, as in the final moments of the contest, Christopher Brown broke free on a counter and rounded the goalkeeper. However, his run took him too wide to finish his opportunity which was soon stymied by Excelsior’s defence.

Bennett explained that the win was especially important as this core of players are expected to make the transition to the Manning Cup competition and challenge for the ever-elusive Manning Cup title.

“We’re very happy that we’re carrying home this trophy,” the head coach insisted.

“It is very important to the school. We have been trying very hard in the Manning Cup in recent years and it continued to evade us all the time so the school put in a lot of effort in this team because this is a team that we’re trying to build for the future.”

– G.B.