Wolmer, affected by an injury, is optimistic despite the draw at the end of the match against STATHS

Despite conceding a goal at the death, Wolmer’s Boys head coach Jerome Waite believes his team should not be underestimated after a 2-2 draw against St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) in the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association/Digicel Manning Cup match 1 /8 final at Stadium East on Friday.

Wolmer’s had great moments throughout the match and led twice on captain Daquan Duhaney’s shot in the seventh minute and Alex Wright’s goal in the 34th minute.

However, STATHS managed to make up for the loss in both cases – first in the 13th minute from Christiano Brown, and second in the fifth minute of added time after a shot by Ajetai Marshall.

Disappointed with the points distribution, Waite said his injury-plagued team deserved more in the match.

“We should have finished the game before the match ended. One of our players got a good opportunity, but he didn’t take advantage of it. Beyond that, it is a learning process and a work in progress,” Waite said.

“They have made a lot of improvements and no one has beaten any of the strongest teams (STATHS) since the beginning of the season. It’s a shame that we have so many injuries now and have to rely on the bench to see how best they can keep things going as we play.

The Heroes’ Circle boys failed to reach the quarter-finals of the Manning Cup last season and were defeated in the last eight of the Walker Cup by STATHS.

Despite being placed in Group 3 with STATHS, beating finalists Hydel High and multiple champions Kingston College, Waite is confident his team has what it takes to challenge.

“If you watch the Wolmer team play, they don’t look like the last team. I’m here to change the culture and you can see that the players are buying into it. But it’s a work in progress and we just have to continue to focus on mental preparation,” he said.

“We still have two games left. We can’t wait for the physiotherapist and doctor to do their job. Tomorrow will be the day we take time to recover and analyze what we could have done better. “

STATHS head coach Philip Williams said he will introspect after being surprised by his team’s efforts.

“I’m not satisfied at all. In terms of character, it’s nice to see them come back twice, but in terms of how we played, I think our key players underperformed too much. “Playing with a team at this stage of the competition, if you underperform, the team will take advantage of you,” he said.

“We need to ask the boys if they slept well and if the meals we prepared didn’t give them enough energy. However, at this level, a point is important because it is better to get a point than none at all.

Both schools now have one point in the group, 3 each, with Kingston College and Hydel facing off on Saturday.

The top two from the group will advance to the quarterfinals.