Anything but a deep run in the ISSA daCosta Cup is usually seen by the demanding fans of Cornwall College as a failure. Hector Wright, who will be guiding the 12-time champions this season, is well aware of the demands and expectations ahead of the season, which starts on the first Saturday of September.

Wright has been on the bench at Cornwall College for at least three years and has understudied Dr Dean Weatherly, the most successful coach at the school, and Theodore Whitmore, who led the team to the third round last year and would be familiar with the crop of players he has inherited.

Wright, who has experience as a coach in the competition after leading his alma mater Herbert Morrison Technical, also led Anchovy High to the quarter-finals in the 2019 season, their best finish, ever.

The former national midfielder has seen enough of his team to think they should go further than last year’s round of 16, but says getting out of the tough Zone A is the first priority.

“Once we get past the first round, we are hoping to go further in the competition,” he told the Jamaica Observer. “Once these players can maintain their concentration and work together as a unit, they should be good.”

The highlight of the pre-season was winning the Montego Bay United Invitational in mid-August and the $1-million cash prize, beating Maldon High in the first round, Irwin High in the semi-finals and Frome Technical in the final.

Wright said their preparation was going well. “The players are very receptive, we have been doing a lot of endurance, a lot of tactical and technical work and like I said, the players are being very receptive as we go through some practice games, trying to work on the things that we’re working on in training,” he said.

The team’s defence, led by captain Deshaun Talbert, he said, has been the most pleasing aspect of the team so far. “They work together, you know, as one, and we are trying to get them to maintain that mindset and stay consistent and they should be good going forward.”

He said the coaching staff was hoping for more consistency at the other end of the field, telling the Jamaica Observer, “I would say finishing and more movements off the ball is lacking, which we are doing a lot of work on, that we’re trying to get them to understand the importance of maintaining control of the game, especially when they are leading. So once they can do that, they should be good.”

The return of national Under-17 striker Corlando Morris, who scored nine goals last season, should help, after he missed most of the early preseason games away on national duties.

— Paul A Reid

WRIGHT… Once we get past the first round, we are hoping to go further in the competition