MOCHO, Clarendon — Despite suffering a potentially damaging defeat to Lennon High on Thursday, Edwin Allen High daCosta Cup coach Sherniel Copeland has remained optimistic of copping an Inter-Zone spot from Zone H.

The 0-1 loss — their fist of the season — has left their second-round hopes hanging in the balance, with Lennon (22 points) closing the gap on their lead to three points.

Further damage could also be done to their Inter-Zone credentials today should Lennon and third-placed Clarendon College (20) win their games in hand, but Copeland is refusing to be sidetracked by the unknown.

“It’s a tough defeat,” he said, “but we just have to assess the mistakes that we made and move on because the objective is to qualify for the second-round and we are still on track, so we are not giving up”.

Copeland added: “What we have been telling the players is that a good team does not only know how to win, but also know how to rise again from a defeat.

“I think we have a tough bunch of players, so we will just take some time and get them motivated for the next game.”

The defeat was indeed a bitter blow for Edwin Allen, who had failed to concede a goal in their previous nine games, and will now feel heart-broken knowing that it took just one lapse in concentration to leave their Inter-Zone fate in limbo.

Their penultimate group game against Clarendon College in Chapelton next Wednesday is now shaping up to be the fixture on which their fate hinges.

Should Clarendon win their two outstanding games against Alston, and Lennon get by Claude McKay, Edwin would slip to third and in need of a win against Clarendon to keep their second-round hopes alive.

But Copeland is not perturbed.

“I think of the two tougher teams in the zone we fancy our chances against them, but we have to go out there with a fighting spirit because they will be coming at us,” he said.

Thursday’s game in Mocho was a battle of midfield prowess between the front-runners, with the momentum swinging both ways throughout the contest.

Lennon looked more threatening in attack, but were given very few look-ins at goal, as they were out-numbered by a well organised five-man Edwin Allen defence for much of the first half.

The hosts were, however, determined to nick all three points and duly went ahead just past the hour after surviving an early second-half scare.

Chevaneil Berry, who had been one of the game’s most outstanding players from midfield, turned up unmarked at the back-post for a vital header on 63 minutes.

The visitors did try to rally — hitting the crossbar before having another chance cleared off the line — but just could not find a way past Lennon’s re-shaped defence.

“I’m very pleased with the victory,” Lennon’s coach Merron Gordon told the Observer. “The players really came out and fought for it.”

“We went to Edwin Allen and lost 0-1 in the first-round, but playing at home we decided that we had to get all three points in order to maintain our objective of moving onto the next round, so I have to congratulate the guys,” he added.

While being thrilled that the victory has now put them into a favourable position, Gordon is mindful that there’s still a lot of work to be done to seal the deal.

“This zone always goes down to the wire, so we just need to keep focus and hope we will be there at the end, but the competition this year is good for the game,” he said.

Meanwhile, the situation in Zone H is pretty much the same, with Denbigh High (24 points), Glenmuir High (19) and Garvey Maceo (19) also locked in a keen three-way battle for the two Inter-Zone spots.

Glenmuir, who have two games in hand, travel to Vernamfield today for a clash with perennial rivals Garvey Maceo in what might just turn out to be a crucial game for the hosts.

The ‘Cubans’ lost the corresponding first-round fixture 1-3 and, having already dropped eight points, can ill afford another slip-up, as it could mean the end of the road for them, especially with another acid test to come against Denbigh.

Leaders Denbigh, with an eight-game winning streak, will also be on the road against an unpredictable Kemps Hill side (15), who appear to be out of contention for a top-two finish, but could still play the role of spoilers, having also to meet Glenmuir in their final group game.