Mona High look to continue strong start
Published:Tuesday | September 20, 2022 | 12:09 AM
Measured in his approach to shaping the future of football at Mona High, head coach Craig Butler says he is looking for his team to continue their strong start against Camperdown High in their ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup Group E clash today at 3:30 p.m. at the Mona High field.
Mona and Butler are looking to extend their winning streak, having won their first two games scoring 12 goals in the process. But Butler says that their goals are far beyond just success in the competition, hoping that his team’s displays can be a platform for the development of football in Jamaica, which has been a part of the reason for their good start.
“It has a lot to do with the preparation of the team, the fact that we are committed to a system and a way of life not just in the Manning Cup but establishing a system that other teams can also utilise so we can become one strong unit as a nation,” Butler told The Gleaner.
It is the togetherness of the team which Butler says has been their strength so far and what he looks to continue to utilise as they prepare for a tactical game against Camperdown.
“We have about four or five different variations of our system that we use which will be based on different formations and applications. So we will apply them as we see fit throughout the game. It will be a tactical game from our perspective and we are looking forward to our players going out there and executing,” Butler said.
Camperdown winless
Camperdown have yet to win in their 2022 campaign, having lost their opening game to Wolmer’s Boys and then drew 1-1 with Papine High on Friday in an ill-tempered contest which saw five players sent off.
The message that Camperdown head coach Donovan Lofters has preached to his team in the days following the game has been discipline, which he expects will be shown against Mona.
“We have been training the mind and training the attitude. It is not really football but about overcoming adversity and disappointment. How we get up after disappointing moments,” Lofters said. “We must show a change in attitude. We must show a change in commitment. We must show a change in every individual.”
Calling Friday’s incident a teaching moment, Lofters says that he is not worried about his team’s current position knowing that two of the first three games were against the main contenders in the group. But he’s optimistic that his team will mount the appropriate response. In the other games in Group E, Hydel High will host Kingston High while Papine High will face second-place Wolmer’s Boys.
Today’s Games
Group B
St Catherine High vs St Jago - Spanish Town Prison Oval
Group C
Charlie Smith vs Edith Dalton James High - Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex
Tivoli High vs Haile Selassie - Tivoli High
Vauxhall High vs Bridgeport High - Vauxhall High
Group D
Tarrant High vs Dunoon Technical -Tarrant Football Field
Group E
Hydel High vs Kingston High - Royal Lakes
Mona High vs Camperdown High - Mona High
Papine High vs Wolmer’s Boys - Papine High
Group F
Clan Carthy vs Excelsior - Alpha Institute
Cumberland vs Campion College - Cumberland High
Jose Marti vs Kingston Technical - Jose Marti High
All games kick off at 3:30 p.m.