Win over KC boosts Hydel’s hopes

Having recorded a massive upset over defending champions Kingston College (KC) on Wednesday, Alex Thomas, head coach of Hydel High, says his players are now beginning to believe they can reach the semi-finals and final of this year's ISSA/WATA Manning Cup football competition.

Hydel won the game 1-0, with Abraham Joseph netting the lone goal for Hydel in the 82nd minute of their Zone 2 encounter, which was played at Stadium East. The win was Hydel's sixth of the season.

Calabar High currently lead the zone on goal difference ahead of Hydel, following their 4-1 win over Campion College.

"I am feeling elated, beating the defending champions KC, and so hats off to my players because they really fought very hard throughout the match," said Thomas.

"It only can get better for us from here on in terms of building momentum and building our chemistry, and also building the mental capacity of the team."

Thomas said that while the victory gave a huge morale boost, his team will remain focused and grounded as they look ahead to their next assignment.

"We are going to stretch our hats as far as possible, but we are still going to remain humble and just take it one game at a time because our next opponent is Calabar, and so we are going to play for that game," he explained.

"We have a very good little squad but we are short, though, in some areas because a lot of our players are 15 years old and some of them are inexperienced. But they all put in a very good shift against KC, and so it is my job now to keep them motivated, and for us to build on this victory."

Thomas stated that the belief within the group is growing and his young players are eager to prove themselves.

"I believe that we only can get better from here on in this competition, because this is schoolboy football and everybody wants to win. And so, we want to win also and ... are determined and focused on doing that," he said.

sports@gleanerjm.com