Principal of St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) Dr Worrell Hibbert believes that the institution has a realistic chance of ending its 39-year wait for an ISSA Manning Cup title this season as he backs the school’s young footballers to deliver the long-awaited trophy.
STATHS, based at Bumper Hall off Spanish Town Road, last lifted the Manning Cup trophy in 1987. The school has remained one of the competition’s most consistent teams over the past 15 years but has been unable to reclaim the title.
Under head coach Phillip Williams, who took charge in 2017, STATHS have reached three Manning Cup finals and one Walker Cup final, losing all four to Jamaica College (JC). Their most recent Manning Cup final appearance came in 2022 when they were beaten by JC.
Hibbert noted that the wait has been a lengthy one, with several generations of students passing through the institution without witnessing a Manning Cup triumph. However, he believes the team remains competitive and is steadily building towards a serious title challenge.
“It is too long, if you ask me. Several generations of STATHS students would not have witnessed us lifting a Manning Cup trophy, but I think we are still competitive, and I think that is what is important,” said Hibbert.
“We have never really been seen as that competitive. Usually, people would only look at STATHS when we get into the round of 16, then the round of eight and the semi-finals. We don’t mind that because at least the attention is not on us,” he said.
“But it is almost 40 years, and that is too long for a school to wait to win back a cup that they last won almost 40 years ago. We are working on this year, and we will see what can happen.”
Hibbert said this year’s team is less experienced than some previous STATHS squads but noted that the young players are beginning to develop the chemistry needed to compete with the leading contenders.
“I think this year we don’t have an experienced team like traditionally. From last year, we have been trying to build a team. This year they are kind of gelling and getting their acts together a little bit. I think right now our chances are probably just as good as any of the other teams,” he said.
“The round of 16 is where the real competition is, and so I think we just have to take our football step by step and try to win every single match that comes in front of us and see how far it takes us,” he said.
Hibbert also pointed to improvements in the players’ academic performance, discipline, and mental preparation as important aspects of the school’s efforts to strengthen its football programme.
“We have invested a little bit more in terms of their academic performance, so this year, we have a group of youngsters that is more academically inclined,” he said.
“We have invested more in terms of discipline and behaviour and reaction. A part of our challenge historically would have been the fact that when it matters most, our school wouldn’t do well. So we have invested a lot in the mental development and the mental capacity of the youngsters because we want them to understand that while they play Manning Cup for sport and fun, when you get in front of better teams, you let your guard down mentally,” Hibbert added.
