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Munro's coach cries foul
Says it's unfair for his school to travel to MoBay for Ben Francis semis
BY PAUL A REID Observer writer reidp@jamaicaobserver.com
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
MUNRO, St Elizabeth - Hopeton Gilchrist, coach of ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel Ben Francis Knock-out semi-finalists Munro College, thinks it is unfair that his team will be asked to travel to Montego Bay to play defending champions St James High at Jarrett Park tomorrow.
GILCHRIST... Jarrett Park is not any more secured than any other suitable venue
Munro will meet St James High at Jarrett Park, while a venue for the other game between five-time champions Glenmuir and first-time semi-finalists Paul Bogle High had not being confirmed up to early yesterday.
Munro beat Manchester High 5-4 in sudden death penalties on Saturday at the St Elizabeth Technical Sports Complex in Santa Cruz to advance to the semi-finals, while St James High beat Rusea's High 6-1 at Jarrett Park.
This was the fifth straight Ben Francis Knock-out game that St James High were playing in Montego Bay after playing all four games there last season.
St James High had beaten Marcus Garvey Technical 2-1 in the first round last season before knocking out Godfrey Stewart 2-0 in the quarter-finals.
The Hugh Solomon-coached team beat Lacovia High 2-1 in the semi-finals before blanking Dinthill Technical 4-0 in the final.
Gilchrist told the Observer yesterday "It is a bit unfair, St James High will not be doing any travelling and this is too much of an advantage to any one team," he said, before adding: "Justice must not just be done but be seen to be done."
The former long-time assistant at Cornwall College, who also led Mannings School to the semi-final of the daCosta Cup in the 2005 season before losing in over time to Glenmuir High, said they would play "anywhere they put the game but this cannot be fair".
Gilchrist said they would prefer to play the game at the Frome Sports Club in Westmoreland, pointing out that even so Munro College would still have to travel the farthest. "But at least both teams would travel."
He said he did not think that security was a concern why the game was being played in Montego Bay. "Jarrett Park is not any more secured than any other suitable venue like Frome or even St Elizabeth Sports Complex, so security cannot be a factor."
Despite all this, the coach said that his team, which is yet to win a senior football title in 45 years, since winning their seventh and last daCosta Cup title in 1964, would be coming into the game with the mindset they can win.
"We don't want the venue to be a factor to the players and we will be preparing them to the best of our abilities for the game," he said.
Says it's unfair for his school to travel to MoBay for Ben Francis semis
BY PAUL A REID Observer writer reidp@jamaicaobserver.com
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
MUNRO, St Elizabeth - Hopeton Gilchrist, coach of ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel Ben Francis Knock-out semi-finalists Munro College, thinks it is unfair that his team will be asked to travel to Montego Bay to play defending champions St James High at Jarrett Park tomorrow.
GILCHRIST... Jarrett Park is not any more secured than any other suitable venue Munro will meet St James High at Jarrett Park, while a venue for the other game between five-time champions Glenmuir and first-time semi-finalists Paul Bogle High had not being confirmed up to early yesterday.
Munro beat Manchester High 5-4 in sudden death penalties on Saturday at the St Elizabeth Technical Sports Complex in Santa Cruz to advance to the semi-finals, while St James High beat Rusea's High 6-1 at Jarrett Park.
This was the fifth straight Ben Francis Knock-out game that St James High were playing in Montego Bay after playing all four games there last season.
St James High had beaten Marcus Garvey Technical 2-1 in the first round last season before knocking out Godfrey Stewart 2-0 in the quarter-finals.
The Hugh Solomon-coached team beat Lacovia High 2-1 in the semi-finals before blanking Dinthill Technical 4-0 in the final.
Gilchrist told the Observer yesterday "It is a bit unfair, St James High will not be doing any travelling and this is too much of an advantage to any one team," he said, before adding: "Justice must not just be done but be seen to be done."
The former long-time assistant at Cornwall College, who also led Mannings School to the semi-final of the daCosta Cup in the 2005 season before losing in over time to Glenmuir High, said they would play "anywhere they put the game but this cannot be fair".
Gilchrist said they would prefer to play the game at the Frome Sports Club in Westmoreland, pointing out that even so Munro College would still have to travel the farthest. "But at least both teams would travel."
He said he did not think that security was a concern why the game was being played in Montego Bay. "Jarrett Park is not any more secured than any other suitable venue like Frome or even St Elizabeth Sports Complex, so security cannot be a factor."
Despite all this, the coach said that his team, which is yet to win a senior football title in 45 years, since winning their seventh and last daCosta Cup title in 1964, would be coming into the game with the mindset they can win.
"We don't want the venue to be a factor to the players and we will be preparing them to the best of our abilities for the game," he said.
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