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Central look to shake off scheduling frustrations
November 13, 2024
Central High School head coach Jermaine Douglas wants his players to give 100 per cent and win despite the sudden change in schedule, which he said has impacted their preparations negatively for the tough matchup against Ocho Rios High School.
Their match is one of three in the quarter-finals of the ISSA/WATA daCosta Cup football competition scheduled for today.
Their match will take place at Llandilo Sports Complex in Westmoreland at 3 p.m. Frome are in danger of not qualifying because of a 4-3 defeat against Glenmuir High on Saturday. They will need a win today to have a fighting chance.
Other games include the Group A contest between St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) and Frome Technical, who are battling to earn the other available spot to advance from the group.
STETHS are second with one point after a draw with McGrath High on Saturday, but a win will push them closer to qualifying for the semi-finals.
Glenmuir were the first to qualify to the semi-finals and Champions Cup, with six points after a 4-1 demolition of McGrath High in yesterday's game.
McGrath will have to heal their wounds by securing a win in their next game against Frome on Saturday.
In Group B, Garvey Maceo will host Munro College at Glenmuir High. The teams in the group are all bunched on one point apiece following first-round matches. Ocho Rios and Munro College battled to a 1-1 finish, while Central High and Garvey Maceo ended 2-2.
A win for either team today will give the group some identity and push them to four points.
"There is uncertainty surrounding our preparations because we have not had a chance to plan. We had a pre-game preparation on Monday, only to hear on Monday night minutes to 10 that we won't be playing until today. It was raining yesterday so we had to do some things indoors," Douglas said.
He continued, "It affected us because we scheduled our preparation according to how much time you have between games. We played Saturday and recovered on Sunday. Monday would have been the ideal day to get a proper training session."
Meanwhile, Veron Peterkin, coach of Ocho Rios High said the team is ready for a tough challenge against Central High.
"They are a good team and we know what to expect because we faced them in preseason. We want to win but if we can't win, we'll draw and move on," he remarked.
"We are playing to win, our only aim is to win. We are going to win but if that doesn't work out we will stick to Plan B and that is to draw," Peterkin said.
