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Despite losing in the final of ISSA TIP Friendly Society Schoolgirls football competition for the third year in a row, Holmwood Technical assistant coach Romaine Mighty has hailed his players for their valiant effort.
Holmwood went down 1-0 to nine-time defending champions Excelsior High on Wednesday at Stadium East through a goal from Reggae Girl Destiny Powell.
It was the third year straight that the Manchester-based school had made it to the final of the schoolgirl competition, a feat Mighty said deserves its own praise.
“To be really honest, even before we got to the final, we told the girls that we’re extremely proud of them,” Mighty told The Gleaner in a post-match interview.
“To come up against a triumphant team like Excelsior for three consecutive years is special. Even though we would have wanted the victory, we didn’t get it today.
“But that’s just how football goes. Some days are good and some days you’ll have a bad day. I guess today was just not our day.”
Mighty praised the various players throughout the years who contributed to the programme’s high standards.
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT
He said, with the challenge of constantly revamping their squads because of players graduating, it is a special achievement for the school to maintain their position as one of the top teams in the competition.
Mighty also guaranteed Holmwood will return to the final next year, where he hopes they can finally win the elusive schoolgirl title.
“Three consecutive years in the final, back-to-back to back is special. It takes a lot of guts, a lot of fight and a lot of hard work and sacrifice to get here,” he explained.
“I’ll say this, don’t be surprised if we’re here next year again. We’re definitely coming back and getting it right next year.”
Mighty also thanked the school community for their continued support for the programme.
He said, while the travel from Christiana, Manchester to Kingston may be difficult, the school’s support is well appreciated by the team.
“We have to thank our fans. For them to travel all the way from Manchester to come to Kingston every year to play in this final, it’s important,” he said.
However, he believes it would do well for the competition to have the final hosted in a neutral location, to ensure both teams would have to travel for the game, rather than just one.
“It’s not what we would have asked for. We would have liked both teams to travel to a neutral location but it’s out of our control. We asked for it and we didn’t get it, but we still have to play and such is football.”
English (US) ·