Shawn Cooper, football coach of Presentation College, San Fernando, is a delighted man after his school clinched the South Zone of the Coca Cola Intercol and put to rest the disappointment of a second-place finish in their zone at the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL).
“Pres” hammered Shiva Boys 4-0 on Thursday in the South final, gaining revenge after their rivals pipped them by one point for the SSFL title.
“I’m very elated. It’s justification for what happened in the league and I’m happy for the guys who were very disappointed. They now have something to show for the football they’ve played,” he said.
Cooper took the blame for his school missing out on the SSFL crown, admitting it was an error made by the technical staff which cost them dearly.
Presentation were stripped of three points won against Naparima College after they fielded a player who was supposed to be serving a ban.
“It hurt because we won the league on points but they deducted the game against Naparima which we won 3-1. It was a mistake on the technical staff. The guy who actually went on had no influence on the game; he went on with the score 3-1. It was a bit heartbreaking but we made an error,” he said.
With the South Intercol final against Shiva Boys, however, Presentation got the chance to show who was really the best team in the zone.
“We knew we were the best in south with our consistency. We’re the best coming out of south in terms of our style of play as well. Last year Shiva knocked us out of the Intercol so we wanted to make a statement. They are a rough and tumble side but we have a passing game. We had a good game plan for them and I congratulate the players for executing it to perfection,” he added.
Looking towards tomorrow’s Intercol semi-final game against Signal Hill, Cooper is confident the south team can beat their Tobago rivals.
“We have a good chance as any (to go on and win it all). They (Signal Hill) lost Darryl Trim to St Anthony’s and he was their main striker last year. I expect a great game because Bertille (St Clair) is their coach and he normally puts out a good product,” he remarked.
Questioned about the structure of football in the school, Cooper believes the root of their success is their programme which encompasses all the students.
“We have an academy headed by (ex-Strike Squad player) Brian Williams for the forms one to four students. Forms four to five and the Championship team are what I deal with.
“We have a comprehensive programme. We also have them at the clubs we coach which is W Connection so the guys understand our philosophy and how we want them to play,” he explained.
The “Pres” coach says the strength of his team is their balance and ability to hurt their opposition from not just one player. He advised them, however, to exercise more patience while attacking and convert more of their goal- scoring opportunities.
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