mommy dearest - Dinthill’s Thomas fired up to win daCosta, Champions Cups for ailing parent

Western Bureau:

Dinthill Technical High School's attacking midfielder Jahiem Thomas says he is motivated to win the ISSA daCosta Cup and Champions Cup for his mother, who is on a long road to recovery from illness.

Thomas confidently netted the third penalty kick in the shootout to take his team to its first Champions Cup final. He will get a chance to take another step closer to his dreams when they face Manning's School in the semifinals of the daCosta Cup at the STETHS Sports Complex in Santa Cruz, St Elizabeth today.

"My number one motivation is my mother," Thomas, an only child, told STAR Sports. "People know that she is not well, so I'm really doing it for her. Normally, we would be on camp, so I don't see her a lot but when we get a break to go home and she sees me she smiles, hugs me, and tells me she loves me and is proud of me. Water comes to my eyes all the time. She tells me that she sees me on TV and is proud.

"I want to win the daCosta Cup and Champions Cup for her and make her happy. Winning all the titles would mean a lot to me, especially to put myself in a position to help my mother. I know that she fought to make me happy, so I would love to see my mother happy at the end."

Thomas said his mother, Angela McCoy, who suffered a stroke five years ago, is recovering well. Her speech was, however, impaired by the episode, so he has to be there for her to speak.

Thomas, who scored a hat-trick in last Wednesday's Champions Cup quarterfinal, to take his goal tally to six this season, said his main aim is to lead his team to winning titles this season.

"I want to help my team to win the trophies and score more goals," he said. "The main aim is to win titles though. I don't have any set target (on number of goals), I just want to take the chances when they come, and the goals one at a time."