4 weeks ago
17
CAMPION COLLEGE head coach Newton Sterling promises there will be more to come from his team next season after their history-making campaign in schoolboy football came to an end with their elimination from the ISSA Walker Cup during the week.
Campion found themselves on the wrong end of the result on Thursday after they went down 2-1 at the hands of St Andrew Technical (STATHS) in the quarterfinals of the Walker Cup.
They were minutes away from booking their spot in the semi-finals, defending a close 1-0 lead, but two goals in the final 10 minutes of the contest saw their title aspirations slip through their grasp.
The result meant an end to a season in which they had made school history by qualifying for the final eight of the ISSA Manning Cup for the first time in over three decades.
Still reeling from his team’s defeat, Sterling felt it was a bitter end to a season which had shown much promise.
“We took the lead, got the important goal but fell short at the end,” he said. “I don’t know what happened really. Maybe it was just a lapse in concentration and the boys not focusing for the full 90 minutes, but whatever it is, it is the nature of the sport.
“They will just have to learn from this defeat and come again,” he added.
Sterling said the result brought back painful memories of their recent elimination from the Manning Cup as well.
Needing a win to advance to the semi-finals, Campion were on the brink of success as they led Hydel 1-0 heading into the final minutes of the game but fell short after a late equaliser sealed their fate.
Sterling explained while painful, these results will prove to be lessons for his players as they now look towards making even more history next season.
“As I said, it’s the nature of the game and it’s something these boys have learned now. If you lapse, then you’re going to get punished and they’ve seen that’s what happened in these last two games,” he explained.
“But it will not be a flash in the pan for Campion. This is my first season coaching a Manning Cup team and it has been a big milestone for me and also for a lot of the players, who have never been this far in the Manning Cup. So we plan on building on this for next season and to come again and do even better.”
Sterling’s confidence will be bolstered from the results he has seen in the under-16 and under-14 competitions. Campion have made it to the second round of both competitions this year.
He hopes the senior players campaign this season will prove an inspiration for the next generations of Campionites ready to make the step up to the Manning Cup.
“Hopefully this season will be an inspiration for the younger ones coming up and with the work we’re putting in, they should be ready when it’s their time.”
English (US) ·