McGrath peeking over the hump

AFTER CONCEDING a late goal to Garvey Maceo before falling in a penalty shootout during last year’s ISSA daCosta Cup final, McGrath High’s coach, Jermaine Thomas, is optimistic about his team’s chances this season and is looking for a more positive outcome.

The St Catherine-based team has produced dominant performances up to the round of 16 – their only setback coming early in the first round when they lost 1-0 away to Dinthill. However, they bounced back at home with a 2-0 victory in the return leg.

McGrath went on to top their group in both the preliminary round and the round of 32 and have also started the round of 16 on a high, defeating the high-scoring Manchester High 2-0 to lead their group on goal difference ahead of Dinthill, who edged Manning’s 2-1.

Thomas, who has been at the helm since 2018, is extremely proud of his young squad.

“We have a very young team as we lost 12 players from last year’s squad, including seven starters. But I’m not surprised by the results because most of these players were part of our under-16 team that did well a few years ago, and that experience has really helped them gel,” he said.

Under Thomas’ leadership, McGrath have shown steady progress – reaching the daCosta Cup semifinals in 2019, quarterfinals in 2021, second round in 2022, winning the Ben Francis Knockout Cup in 2023, and finishing as daCosta Cup finalists last year.

“For me, it’s all about the success of our football programme. Seeing how far we’ve come is the ultimate reward,” Thomas added.

Looking ahead, McGrath will face Manning’s and Dinthill in their remaining Round of 16 fixtures, and Thomas knows the road ahead won’t be easy.

“We’ll take it game by game. Both are quality teams – Manning’s have been doing very well, and most of their players were part of a successful under-16 team. Playing Dinthill on their home ground won’t be easy, but we’ll be ready for the challenge,” he said.

After last year’s near miss, Thomas insists his team feels no extra pressure.

“No, the players have put that behind them. It’s a new season – what happened last year is history. The confidence level in the group is extremely high,” he stated.

With the competition on pause due to the threat of a hurricane, Thomas is welcoming the short break.

“This break is good for the team. We’ve been playing regularly, and several players have little niggles. The rest will help them recover.”