It did not take long for St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) goalkeeper and Captain Jeadine White to switch focus from one North Street-based school to another after he guided his team into the semi-finals of the ISSA/FLOW Manning Cup competition.

On Wedneday at Constant Spring Field, STATHS got the better of many-time champion St George’s College 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 full-time scoreline in their quarter-final replay after their first quarter-final game had ended 0-0 a few weeks ago.

White was the star of the show during the shootout, saving two St George’s penalties before burying the winner for STATHS and sending them through to their first semi-final since 2005.

“We just want to move forward and build as a team after this win and come again stronger for the semi-final,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

A lot has been said of and written about the STATHS shot stopper this season, and White credits his top-level performances so far to his attitude towards training.

“It’s all down to training because I train very hard and I always believe I can do it. Confidence comes first, so all I have to do is do what I practise in training,” he stated.

White commended the fight of his teammates, who had to be especially strong mentally in their game on Wednesday.

“I think my team is a fighting team. The same referee that made a wrong call against us in the Super Cup came again. We didn’t agree with a lot of his call this time around, but we stood strong mentally and pulled through.”

As for his opponents in the Manning Cup semi-finals, White believes STATHS will have the measure of the team that ousted them from Walker Cup semis.

“Playing against them (Kingston College) in the semi-final of the Walker Cup they only outscored us, I don’t think they outplayed us and I don’t think they will do it in the semi-finals… we are confident of winning against them,” he said.

White’s coach Phillip Williams stated that his captain is the best goalkeeper in schoolboy football and hailed him as an inspiration.

“Right now he is the number one goalkeeper in schoolboy football in the island. He has been leading all season, from the front or the back, whichever way you want to look at it, and I thank God that I made him the captain. He is really an inspiration to the side,” said the coach.

Williams says that, importantly, White enjoys the respect of his teammates.

“The boys respect him, they respect his position and what he is doing for the team so he has the full backing of the team. He is a true leader and he is doing his job.”

St Andrew Technical will take on Kingston College next week in a bid to return to the final of the competition for the first time in 30 years.