Hydel dare to dream after KC upset

Having registered a massive upset victory over defending champions Kingston College (KC) on Wednesday, Alex Thomas, head coach of Hydel High, says his players are now beginning to believe that they can reach the semi-finals and final of this year’s ISSA/WATA Manning Cup competition.

Abraham Joseph netted the lone goal for Hydel in the 82nd minute of their Zone Two encounter, which was played at the Stadium East field. The win was Hydel’s sixth of the season.

Calabar High lead the zone on goal difference ahead of Hydel, following their 4-1 win over Campion College.

“I am feeling elated after beating the defending champions, KC, and so hats off to my players because they really fought very hard throughout the match,” said Thomas. “It only can get better for us from here on in terms of building momentum and building our chemistry and also building the mental capacity of the team.”

Thomas said that while the victory was a huge morale booster, his team will remain focused and grounded as they look ahead to their next assignment.

“We are going to stretch our hats as far as possible, but we are still going to remain humble and just take it one game at a time because our next opponents are Calabar,” he explained.

“We have a very good squad, but we are short in some areas because a lot of our players are 15 years old, and some of them are inexperienced, but they all put in a very good shift against KC, and so it is my job now to keep them motivated and for us to build on this victory.”

Thomas stated that the belief within the group is growing and that his young players are eager to prove themselves.

“I believe that we only can get better from here on in this competition because this is schoolboy football, and everybody wants to win, and so we are determined and focused on doing that,” he said.

Hydel reached the semi-finals of the competition in 2023 and last year. They went all the way to the final in 2023 but lost to first-time winners Mona High School. Last year, they were defeated by KC in the semi-finals.