Dinthill talks tough: We are not afraid of Clarendon College
November 14, 2019
The coach of Dinthill Technical High School, Xavier Gilbert, said his squad has no fear of eight-time champion Clarendon College.
Both teams are gearing up to clash in the final of the ISSA/WATA daCosta Cup Football Competition, which will unfold on November 30 inside Montego Bay Sports Complex in St James.
Defending champion Clarendon College reached the final after beating McGrath High 3-0 yesterday afternoon; Dinthill did so moments later when it secured a 2-1 win over Cornwall College.
Clarendon College out of Chapelton town is being touted as the favourite to win the final, but Dinthill out of Linstead in St Catherine is fearless.
“There is no fear of anybody. When it comes to this stage and you have fear, it doesn’t make sense,” Gilbert told The Beacon.
He noted that, in the semis last year, Clarendon College was the team that blocked Dinthill from advancing.
“They defeated us in the semi-finals last year and of course we want to avenge that loss. We are going to work hard and ensure that we do what we have to do,” Gilbert said, while expressing gratitude to everyone who helped Dinthill to attain its latest feat.
The coach added: “We are happy that we are in the finals… We just have to recover, get some rest and work on what we have to do heading into the final.”
Turning to the semi-final match that his side won last evening, Gilbert said his players worked hard to beat Cornwall College.
Rojia Layne netted a brace for Dinthill; Brandon Curate scored Cornwall College’s only goal.
Gilbert opined: “The young men really worked hard and they deserve it (the win). To come in Montego Bay and defeat Cornwall [College] to make it to the finals is really hard work.
“It was a good performance; I am happy that we won; I am happy with the way the players acquitted themselves and the effort and the energy that they gave,” the Dinthill coach further told The Beacon.
He noted that one of his team’s strategies yesterday was to silence Cornwall College’s home crowd.
Gilbert recounted: “We got into a little comfort zone in the first half after we scored. The plan was to get the crowd out of it, and one of the way to get the crowd out of it was to ensure that we scored early – which we did. The way we scored; that’s the way we had planned.
“Everything was going according to plan until, I think, we got relaxed and they (Cornwall College) capitalized on it. They had some wonderful moments in the game and eventually they got the equalizer. It was always important that we go ahead. They had dominance in terms of possession, but we still worked hard and we got the result,” Gilbert explained.
Dinthill, which reached the grand final after almost dropping out of the competition in the first round, is a two-time daCosta Cup winner, having lifted the trophy in 1979 and 1981.
By Horace Mills, Journalist
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