DACOSTA CUP TEAMS SHOW IMPROVEMENT BUT STILL LAG BEHIND MANNING CUP COUNTERPARTS

In the inaugural season of what is now called the ISSA/FLOW Super Cup teams from the rural DaCosta Cup competition were so outclassed by their Manning Cup counterparts that after the first round of competition, only two remained. After that only STETHS managed to advance to the semi-finals where they were dismissed by eventual champions Jamaica College.

This past Saturday during the opening round of the 2015 version, despite a shaky start D’Cup teams managed to win the first three matches albeit after initially seeming like they were on their way out. KC took an early 2-0 lead over Glenmuir before the latter rallied to win 3-2, while Clarendon College had to fight back from being 0-1 down against 10-man Hydel before securing a win in extra time. STETHS was the only dominant-looking D’Cup team rebounding from an early Charlie Smith goal to win 4-1. Despite the scoreline, STETHS were profligate. It could have been much worse for the the Manning Cup runners-up.

Manning Cup teams won the next five matches.  Vere battled but lost to defending champions JC 2-1, Pt Antonio, despite looking good passing the ball around were outclassed by Wolmer’s, who won 3-1, Petersfield were clobbered 5-0 by St. Georges, and St. Jago overran Lacovia 3-1. Those four wins put the Manning Cup teams 4-3 but the early signs were that St. James would have made it even-steven going into the next round but they turned out to be the biggest disappointment of all.

Playing at home in Montego Bay, St. James led Excelsior 1-0 for much of the match before conceding late in  the second half. However, having lost momentum during the second half which saw them come under constant pressure from their rivals from Mountain View Avenue, the Theodore Whitmore-coached St. James looked the better team in extra time but were unable to force a win. They eventually lost 5-6 on penalties and in so doing robbed the D’Cup teams a chance to go into the quarter-finals with four representatives.

Overall though, with the exception of STETHS the rural teams still lacked the technical quality of their urban counterparts. Clarendon College, for example, were lucky not to have been defeated by Hydel who created the better chances throughout the game. They seemed to be the team that had a better system of play and were more creative and aggressive. CC meanwhile, passed the ball around well enough but lacked ideas going forward and in the final third.

Glenmuir capitalized on an inexperienced and young KC team but the scoreline doesn’t tell the story of how much the Clarendon-based team were outclassed during much of the first half.

I will admit that the gap between the teams is not as wide as it was last season but more work needs to be done by the rural coaches and players. Ways have to be found for the rural ‘ballers to play more quality games each year and their coaches need to step up. Whether it is they need to study more or experiment more or consult more, but something is lacking. Still, the signs are encouraging. The Flow Super Cup is aimed at matching the top eight teams from each competition against each other and while there are signs of improved balance, Manning Cup teams still have the edge and will most likely win the trophy again this year.

Going forward however, D’Cup teams have to be prepared to come to the party with the intention of winning rather than seeming to only make up numbers.