Omar ‘Rambo’ Wedderburn, head football coach of St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS), says they are desperate to end a seven-year ISSA/daCosta Cup drought.
STETHS, who won their last title in 2015, were knocked out at the quarter-final stage of the competition last year, before losing to Edwin Allen 3-2 in the final of the Ben Francis KO competition.
Wedderburn said he has a very confident squad going into this year’s competition, and everyone is prepared to give their best as they look to end their title drought.
“Every year that we don’t win it, it is getting longer, and so we don’t want it to stretch longer,” said Wedderburn.
“The school population, the community at large, the staff and players, we all want us to do it for the parish of St Elizabeth,” he said.
“The parish is looking for something each time we play, and so, honestly, we don’t want this drought to continue. We are going out there like anybody else to give the best that we can in each game and see how far that can take us, and how close that can take us towards the cup,” Wedderburn said.
The veteran coach underscored that they have assembled a good all-round team for this year’s competition, and therefore he is expecting everyone to play an important role in their quest to lift the title.
“We have a nice team, and the vibes are right and the players are ready for it,” he said. “The spectators always like to see when we are happy; and if we are happy throughout the season, then we can also make the parish very happy,” Wedderburn said.
STETHS are drawn in Zone E alongside B.B. Coke, Munro College, Sydney Pagon High, Lacovia High and Maggotty High.
Wedderburn added that the zone is going to be very challenging this season, because all the teams have done very well in their buildup for the new season.
“As you know, this zone has always been very competitive and nothing is going to change. We are always fighting to come out on top, and the competitiveness of this group always helps us to push on further in the competition,” he said.
“I don’t think that this year it will be a walk in the park for anyone, and so we have to be at our best from very early,” Wedderburn stated.