1 year ago
73
MERL GROVE High School nearly pulled off the unthinkable on Tuesday, but that is just the start of head coach Neo Oxford’s drive to change the football culture at the girls’ institution.
One season ago, Merl Grove were thumped 24-0 by eight-time ISSA Tip Friendly Society School Girls Football competition champions Excelsior High School.
Excelsior, over the course of those eight seasons, have largely bullied their opposition into submission, with a rival almost nowhere in sight.
On Tuesday, they were minutes away from losing their opening game, eventually getting by Oxford’s Merl Grove, 2-1.
According to Oxford, the closely contested match was a message to all their opponents that Merl Grove will no longer be minnows.
Where most would have shied away from taking on the defending champions, Oxford had welcomed the challenge with open arms.
“It is always good to start the season playing the defending champions as you set your standards high,” he said.
“You look at the game, and you’ll see that we actually challenged the defending champions, so for the other teams out there, we are coming.”
Merl Grove’s first target is to improve on their poor performance from last year’s campaign by qualifying for the second round.
Worst record
Merl Grove ended their 2024 season rooted to the bottom of Zone G with the worst record in the competition.
In 10 games, the team had ended the first round without a win, while conceding a mammoth 84 goals along the way, 46 of which came in their two games against Excelsior.
“Anything different from that performance is a victory, but my personal aim is to get this team to the second round,” Oxford told The Gleaner before the start of the season.
“The girls have been training very well, and they are learning the game. They also believe in themselves as well, and that is a very important part of it.”
Oxford is confident that his players can achieve their season’s target as he has seen a new culture of winning being built.
His expectations were buoyed after their success in the preseason, where they won the inaugural Merl Grove Classics tournament, defeating Immaculate Conception, Kingston Football Academy, and Hillel.
Drawing on the team’s nickname, the ‘Gems’, Oxford has encouraged all Merl Grove fans to turn out in support of the team
“It is all about changing the culture, and since I’ve been there, I’ve realised that the football team has not been garnering that support, so we’re changing that. I know what my girls possess, and we have some good talents at Merl Grove now.”
He continued, “They call themselves ‘Gems’, and that is exactly what they are. So I can tell all the Merl Grove fans, it will be something different from the team this year where you can be proud to wear the crest.”
A formidable opponent
Two key players to look out for in Oxford’s ensemble will be the pair of national youth representatives: Olivia Ashbourne and Shanae Ashley.
With Ashbourne leading their attacking lines and Ashley’s presence in the backline, Merl Grove will look to be a formidable opponent this season.
“Our captain, Shanae Ashley, she has been the national captain since she was 13 years old, and I’ve been working with her since she was 11. It is progress, and you can see her quality when she is there. She always represents well,” said Oxford.
“Olivia Ashbourne, she is a class talent. Anyone who has ever seen her play anywhere can tell you that. The U17 team played the other day, and she was on the bench, and that caused some concerns for us, but she came out here and she proved her quality.”
Merl Grove next go to Tivoli Gardens High School today at 3 p.m.
English (US) ·