After failing to score in last year’s staging of the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/FLOW Super Cup competition, Alphanso Gooden boldly introduced himself in the 2016 edition.

Gooden achieved the first three-timer by a Corporate Area player in this year’s competition when he propelled Wolmer’s Boys’ School to a comprehensive 6-0 win over Little London High in first round action.

He has since improved his tally to five goals in assisting Wolmer’s to the final, where he will once again be tasked with leading from the front if they are to get by rural area kingpins Cornwall College in the battle for the $1 million prize and the 24 lb Italian-made trophy.

“I believe our chances of winning this competition are very good, because once we play as a team and execute well we can beat any team we come up against. I know the Cornwall College team will prove a very stiff competition, so we have to play as a team and work to win the cup,” Gooden told the Jamaica Observer in a recent interview.

“I feel confident about this Super Cup final, and we are focused on coming out victorious because we are the last hope for the Manning Cup teams and we want to ensure that the title stays in town,” he added.

The 19-year-old fifth former has been instrumental in his team’s achievement in all competitions, but his exploits in the lucrative knockout competition been even more telling.

The towering centre forward exhibited his proficiency in a smooth and composed manner in tormenting the opponents’ defence from in and around the penalty area throughout the campaign.

“It is always a great feeling to score, but even more so because I didn’t score any Super Cup goals last year. So it’s always a wonderful feeling to help my team and you feel even more established as a striker when your team gets to a final. I am even more proud of my achievement knowing that this is what I trained for and the hard work is paying off. But still one more game to go, so more work still to be done,” the former Trench Town player noted.

Wolmer’s path to the final included a 1-0 quarter-final victory over rivals Kingston College, who co-incidentally have been the only team to inflict their only loss this season in the Walker Cup competition, and an intense 6-5 sudden-death penalty win over St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) in the semi-finals. The Heroes’ Circle-based team is now poised to go all the way and Gooden is positive that his team will rise to the occasion.

“It feels good to finally make the final, because the last two years we failed to get past the semi-finals, so we are proud to be here and hoping to go all the way. I don’t feel pressured because my job as a striker is to score goals, and that is what I intend to do.

“Our progress throughout the competition, particularly our semi-final win, will be a good motivation for us going into the final. And I am happy that I played my part in getting the job done. The confidence of the team is at a high level, and like I said, as long as we remain focused and do what we have to do by scoring the chances that fall for us, then we will come out on top,” Gooden ended.