Last year’s beaten finalists Hydel High, Calabar High, and St George’s College were among the victors on matchday 21 of the 2024 urban-area ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup football competition on Saturday.
Calabar High regained the lead in Zone D with a narrow 1-0 win over St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) in a top-of-the-table clash at Red Hills Road.
Jaheim Rankine's decisive goal in the 34th minute was enough to secure all three points for Calabar, bringing them to 16 points, equal to STATHS, who dropped to second due to an inferior goal difference.
Calabar coach Andrew Price praised his team’s resilience after they avenged their 1-0 first-leg loss at Boys’ Town on September 14.
“The players are resilient; we played today without two of our frontline central defenders, so we had to patch up the team, and people played in positions they don’t normally play in. But we have a system that we’ve been using the entire season, and once people fit into the system, the team will play well. They showed depth and character today to get the three points against a very good STATHS team,” Price said.
Price also highlighted the team’s defensive strength, having conceded only two goals in the competition so far. “We’re building a football culture here at the school, and we’re going to keep working hard for success,” he added.
STATHS thought they had equalised late in the match when substitute Christiano Brown slipped the ball through the goalkeeper's legs, only for the goal to be disallowed for offside, leaving coach Phillip Williams frustrated with the officiating.
“It is unfortunate that ISSA has invested so much, and the schools have invested so much, yet poor officiating takes away from the game. I think that was the worst thing today; both teams played some decent football, but the officiating needs to be better,” Williams said. “What we didn’t do today was score. We have a style of football that we play, and we stuck to that even when we went down a man, but referees in Jamaica need to improve—they are very poor.”
Meanwhile, second place Hydel cruised to an 8-0 win at Ardenne High, boosting their chances of joining the already-qualified Eltham High in the second round, moving to 12 points in Zone A.
Hydel captain Ronaldo Barrett netted six goals, while D’Sean Henry and Sean-John Curchar added the other two. Ardenne remain winless, having conceded 41 goals in six games.
Already qualified St George’s College cruised to a 5-0 victory at Holy Trinity High in Zone G, extending their lead to six points ahead of second place St Catherine High. The North Street-based school secured their sixth win in seven matches, moving up to 19 points, while St Catherine High sit on 13 points from five games.
The top two teams have created a clear gap, with third-placed Norman Manley High on four points from five games, and Holy Trinity in fourth with four points from six games. Papine are at the bottom, with three points from seven matches.
Over in Zone E, Tivoli Gardens delivered a commanding 10-0 victory over fourth place Denham Town High at STATHS, moving to second place with 18 points from seven games. They trail leaders Wolmer’s Boys, who hold 21 points from seven games.
Meanwhile, Excelsior High dominated bottom place Pembroke High with a 15-0 win at Excelsior, retaining second place in Zone F with 13 points from five games. They remain three points behind leaders Jamaica College, who have 16 points from six matches.
SATURDAY’S RESULTS
Manning CupArdenne High 0, Hydel High 8Dunoon Park Technical 0, Eltham High 2Calabar High 1, STATHS 0Camperdown High 0, Vauxhall High 0Kingston Technical 0, Haile Selassie High 5Denham Town High 0, Tivoli High 10Ascot High 0, JC 5Excelsior High 15, Pembroke Hall 0Holy Trinity High 0, St George’s College 5Norman Manley High 3, Papine High 1
daCosta CupMunro 0, Maggotty 0Manchester 1, Belair 0Glenmuir 4, Old Harbour 0Ocho Rios 8, Ferncourt 1Anchovy 1, Green Island 2McGrath 0, Dinthill 0Maldon High 4, St James 1Irwin High 1, Cornwall College 4Green Pond 5, Herbert Morrison 2Grange Hill 0, Godfrey Stewart 1Mannings 6, Little London 0Muschett 0, Cedric Titus 13Spot Valley 0, William Knibb 0Happy Grove 2, Morant Bay 0Tacius Golding 0, Charlemont 3Cross Keys 1, DeCarteret College 5Newell 0, Lacovia 1B.B Coke 1, STETHS 3Claude McKay 0, Clarendon College 7Central 2, Edwin Allen 1Knockalva 0, Frome Tech 8Cambridge 1, Rusea’s High 3
