Vere Technical looking to bring back glory days

ONCE a powerhouse in schoolboy football, especially in the mid-1960s and early 1970s, Vere Technical is hoping to bring back some memories when they compete in this year's daCosta Cup schoolboy football competition.

Drawn in a very competitive Group I, which includes the likes of Champions Cup winners and last year's semi-finalists Glenmuir High, Ben Francis Knockout semi-finalists Denbigh High, and defending champions Garvey Maceo, the Dwight Angus-coached team from Hayes, Clarendon, is ready to make their presence felt.

"Vere Technical will give a very good account of themselves in this year's daCosta Cup competition as we want to get back to those years when they were a dominant team in schoolboy football," said Angus, who is in his second year at the helm of the coaching staff.

A principal lecturer at G.C. Foster College of Physical Education and Sports, he is very excited about the upcoming competition.

"Last year I took over the coaching job a few days before the competition, and the result at the end was not that good. We drew one match and lost the others, but we are ready to change that," he shared.

At the recent Clarendon Elite competition at Glenmuir High School, the team gave a glimpse of what is expected from them this season. Going into the competition as one of the underdogs, they punched above their weight in the end as they had wins over Tivoli Gardens High and Denbigh High before advancing to the finals, where they gave a very spirited performance, staying toe to toe with a quality Glenmuir team before losing 2-0 in the end.

Angus, who was not present at the finals, was encouraged by his team's performances at the pre-season tournament.

"It was a great start for the boys. The coaching staff was encouraged by the performance, and that has given them a lot of confidence and a boost going forward. We really plan to change the results from last year," he said confidently.

"Going into that final, we knew about the quality of the Glenmuir team, but we were not fazed. We were definitely proud of the discipline shown by the team, despite being a young group.

"The competition was used to expose them to quality football, and I think they passed the test," he continued.

"Overall, the boys did well, but I especially liked what I saw from players like Nathaniel Henry, Ezekiel Scarlett, Kajay Samuels and goalkeeper Ricoli Thomas, who was voted the best goalkeeper of the competition. This really looks good going forward."

Angus is pleased with the support given to the team.

"The support from the principal, vice principal, school administration, community members and past students has been great, and this has really helped to motivate the boys, who have been doing extremely well in practice matches so far.

"Despite the quality of the other teams in the group, I am very confident that the team can advance to the next round of the competition as we are ready to get Vere back on top -- like they did in former years," he concluded.

Other teams in the group are Bustamante High, Foga Road, Winston Jones and Kemps Hill High.

sports@gleanerjm.com