MONTEGO BAY, St James – Head coach for 12-time D’Costa Cup champions Cornwall College Dr Dean Weatherly says he expects a good showing from his team in the 2022 football season which kicks off later this month.

“So far preseason has been a successful one, in terms of our preparations. We are right where we want to be going into the opening on September 10,” the veteran coach told the Jamaica Observer West.

Cornwall College have been drawn in Zone A and are set to go up against St James, Anchovy, Green Pond, Irwin, and Maldon high schools during the preliminary round.

Some 82 teams across 15 zones are expected to compete in the competition.

“We need to tweak some things here and there because you cannot start the season at a 100 per cent. So, in terms of our preparations, we are right where we want to be and hopefully we can come and give a good showing,” Weatherly told the Observer West.

The team so far have played a number of preseason games, which included matches against Rusea’s High, Spot Valley High, and Mount Pleasant Football Academy. They came away 2-1 winners against Spot Valley in the most recent game.

Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, only 52 teams participated in eight zones in the competition last season, in which Cornwall College failed to advance beyond the quarter-finals.

Weatherly, however, remains confident that the Montego Bay-based school will perform creditably this season.

“Yes, it’s full steam ahead, but because at that time [last season] we didn’t have much continuity from the seasons before…we are in a rebuilding year and hope things work out from there,” he stressed.

Coach Weatherly is hoping that the holistic approach being taken by the team will be enough to bring them the glory they seek.

“The holistic approach, the full-team approach, it’s a good little unit, and that’s what we’re trying to do, team building, that’s what we’re working on right now and it’s a good look,” he argued.