FORTY-NINE years is indeed a long time to wait for redemption, and it can seem even longer if your attempts at success have been consistently derailed by, among other things, the unpredictable nature of life.

Just ask the Munro College faithful; they know the feeling quite well.

Since 1964, the Munrovians have been trying without success to regain their grip on the daCosta Cup trophy, falling at the Inter-Zone round for the past 14 years.

And, if that isn’t bad enough, they’ve had to sit on the sidelines, playing the groomsmen, while their fierce parish rivals St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) take the plaudits — a painful sight for a school who are trailblazers in this prestigious rural area in schoolboy football competition.

Munro — predominantly an all-boys institution who in September officially began registering girls for their sixth form — were winners of the first three daCosta Cup competitions, but would suffer a brutal nosedive following their last piece of silverware in 1964.

Though an all-boys school and winners of seven of the first 13 daCosta Cup competitions, sources have theorised that Munro failed to keep pace with the likes of Cornwall and, later on, Vere Tech because they have never really fostered a football culture. “It’s been more about academics,” some say.

It is further believed that, in recent years, the power brokers of the Malvern-based institution seemed to have put more focus on besting STETHS in the annual St Elizabeth derby, which is quite a huge fixture in the breadbasket parish, than actually charting a way back to the top.

However, at the end of the 2011 campaign, things seemingly began to take a turn for the better. The Munro old boys were now showing serious interest in building and sustaining a football culture, which was reflected in the hiring of Andrew Edwards — the coach who guided STETHS to the 2009 daCosta Cup title and back-to-back Ben Francis Cups (2010 and 2011) — in 2012.

Edwards’ move across the St Elizabeth divide, which some perhaps thought was unthinkable, left many in awe. It suggested that Munro were not only looking to boost their title credentials. They were also aiming to topple STETHS, who were now growing into a huge force in schoolboy football, in the process.

Edwards’ first year in charge was seen as transitional, as Munro were eliminated at the Inter-Zone phase. Entering this season, however, expectations were high and somehow the hype felt genuine.

Even a few STETHS supporters watching a Premier League pre-season game in Santa Cruz were raving about the potential Munro squad, whose coaching staff was bolstered by the experienced Paul ‘Tegat’ Davis. Based on developments in pre-season, the pundits were also anticipating big things from Munro, even naming them among the front-runners for the daCosta Cup.

As expected, they began the season well; finishing second to STETHS in Zone E, only on goal difference. But winning the daCosta Cup is no walk in the park, and drawn alongside fellow title hopefuls Manchester High, Clarendon College and Spalding High in the Inter-Zone round didn’t exactly make things easier for them.

The buzz in the street after Inter-Zone groups were announced was all about Group Four.

It was labelled the ‘group of death’, with supporters arguing that the winners of this pool should figure prominently in the title race. On the evening of Wednesday, October 30, Munro bore a striking resemblance to that team.

An impressive 3-0 victory over Spalding at STETHS put them in pole position to take group honours after Clarendon College and Manchester played out a 1-1 draw in Clarendon. However, it took one goal, scored by Adrian Smart three days later, to change the dynamics of Group Four.

Munro lost 0-1 at Kirkvine. Suddenly, Manchester, who were now the protagonists, with Spalding also giving themselves a lifeline after upstaging Clarendon 2-1.

Even though that defeat to Manchester was Munro’s first and only one for the season, it carried with it a sting that eventually proved poisonous to their title ambitions. Their fate was now out of their hands, instead sitting perilously in Manchester’s palms.

Needing a victory over Clarendon College, coupled with a defeat or draw for Manchester against Spalding at Kirkvine, Munro did their bit — winning 2-1 — but it just wasn’t good enough.

Even as a Clarendon College supporter, watching their campaign wither away was a bit sad. Perhaps the thought of Clarendon College suffering a similar fate in years to come was seeping in. After all, it’s now 15 years since the Chapelton school last won the daCosta, and this year’s showing is by no means a sign of encouragement.

One minute there was a herd of Munro students, who had arrived late, streaming into the venue accompanied by thunderous chants of “MC! MC! MC!” as their team headed towards the daCosta Cup quarter-finals.

But, as the minutes ticked away at a soggy Juici Patties Park, news arrived from Kirkvine that Manchester had taken a 1-0 lead. Suddenly, the chorus went silent. Supporters to the far end of the venue started to make their way across, and if that didn’t sum up Munro’s decades-long wait for redemption, the adjoining conversation certainly did.

“Manchester a lead fi real?” one Munro fan asked.

“Yeah, man,” was the dreaded reply, “but nuh lef yet. The match nuh done, about eight minutes left. Spalding can still equalise.”

The Munro fan continued on his way.

Then, as if taking a few seconds to analyse their prospects, he slowed down. Clearly broken in spirits, he replied: “Wi nuh have dem luck deh, mi bredda. A almost 50 years now wi nuh win nutt’n.”

As it turned out, he was right. Luck didn’t favour the MC faithful on Wednesday. News of the final score, 1-0 to Manchester, was delivered minutes after five in the evening. By that time, the Munro-Clarendon College game was long finished. But, as disappointed as they were, no one seemed surprised. Forty-nine years of disappointment have, perhaps, made them immune. There was a post-mortem, though, delivered by coach Edwards.

His post-match monologue was fluid, bearing a clear message, and it confirmed what many had been saying all along.

“We had really a good season,” he said, “which is an improvement in terms of points scored in the Inter-Zone round. But I still think we have a long way to go at Munro, in terms of learning the culture of winning.”

“This year,” he continued, “will make it 14 consecutive years that we haven’t passed the Inter-Zone round, so it’s a difficult undertaking trying to reverse some of the cultural behaviours that exist in the school… Certainly, we have to look very, very closely on our management structures and the way we treat the players. I think that is a big problem for us.”