Lofters expects ‘great things’ from Camperdown
Published:Tuesday | November 23, 2021 | 12:09 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
CAMPERDOWN HIGH School has made one of the most impressive starts to this season’s ISSA Manning Cup competition.
The east Kingston-based school has registered three wins from as many games, defeating Dunoon 5-0, Jose Marti 3-0, while coming from behind to beat 2019 beaten finalists St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) 2-1.
Donovan Lofters, team manager for eight years, who is now in his first season as head coach, believes his possession-based style of play will lead his team to great things this season. So far, he has been extremely satisfied with the returns.
MAINTAIN POSSESSION
“My philosophy is, I prefer if my team has control of the ball, pass around the ball, and be patient,” he reasoned. “Let’s not behave like schoolboys. I want mature players who understand that you have to move the ball left to right to maintain possession a little.
“To maintain possession, you need to slow the game down and have control before we move forward,” he added.
He said this style of play has found favour with all his players, as opposed to the more direct style that the majority of other schoolboy teams tend to employ.
“The lads understand what I am trying to do. They understand what football is now and that is, controlling the game and dictating the pace, and they have accepted that. They have grasped the concept and they are loving it. And so far, it has been working,” Lofters explained.
He noted that since they began their preparation, only Cavalier and Portmore United (practice games) have overcome their playing style, and this gives him the confidence that they will go deep into the competition.
However, he insists that for now, the main objective is securing their second-round berth.
“Since we have started playing practice games, we’ve only lost to Portmore United and Cavalier and based on that, my expectation is high,” he shared.
“Managing the season and getting through the first round and then to the quarter-finals is our present focus. It will be a challenging one, but once the guys turn up it will not be a problem,” he said.
Lofters added: “My new approach for the Manning Cup is creating problems, because most Manning Cup teams are used to direct attack. Teams like Manchester City, Barcelona and Bayern Munich that possess the ball and try to win it back quickly, a lot of teams cannot deal with them,” he related.
“Not even the local Premier League teams can manage it. When we play them, you can see their frustration boiling over.
“The guy are playing really well, they are adapting and maturing day by day, so I really do expect great things,” he said.