Signal Hill plot upset vs St Benedict's in national intercol semis

SIGNAL Hill Secondary coach Downie Marcelle said his team will not be showing up to make up numbers against St Benedict’s College in their Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) Coca-Cola boys’ national intercol semifinal at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva on November 29. The game will kick off from 4.30 pm.

The Signal Hill youngsters made the journey from Tobago on November 25, and they made light work of Miracle Ministries Pentecostal High School in their quarterfinal the following day as they romped to a comprehensive 6-0 win in Couva.

Marcelle said it was a joy to see his team firing on all cylinders against Miracle Ministries, but he knows they will be in for a tougher test against Benedict’s who are still unbeaten this season after finishing atop this season’s premier division table.

“I know (St Benedict’s) will be coming to make a game of it and we have to ensure we don’t roll over and give a good account of ourselves,” Marcelle told Newsday in an interview on the eve of the match. “It’s a knockout game and knockout games are really tricky games.

“It’s not a gimme... sometimes with knockout games, there’s always a fairytale.”

In the league meeting between the teams on October 19, Signal Hill held St Benedict’s to a 1-1 draw at Mahaica Sporting Complex in Point Fortin, with Signal Hill top-scorer Kyle James cancelling out a second-half goal from the premier division’s leading scorer, Derrel “Zum Zum” Garcia.

Though he acknowledged his team will have to defend for long periods, Marcelle is quietly optimistic about his team’s chances.

“We’re hoping we can go there and upset St Benedict’s, but we cannot be naive knowing the threats they have going forward. St Benedict’s are a well-drilled team, they are a well-oiled machine.

“We just have to capitalise on our moments when we have to attack and hope we can score and put them under pressure.”

Though Garcia has hit the 20-goal mark this season, Marcelle said his team can ill-afford to put all their attention on one player.

“We’re just going to play our football. We’re not focused on what the other team is doing. We’re going to pay attention to what we’re going to do and how we’re going to navigate against St Benedict’s,” he said.

“We know the threat Garcia possesses. But at the same time, football is played on the day – it’s 11 versus 11, boys versus boys, men versus men.

“We’re going to go out there and fight. We’re not going to fight one player, we’re going to fight St Benedict’s.”

Two years ago, Benedict’s and Signal Hill also met in the national intercol semis, with the former team getting a 4-0 victory courtesy a brace from silky midifielder Josiah Ochoa – a key member in the current Benedict’s setup.

Marcelle said his team has grown immensely since then and hopes the players remaining from the squad can show their worth to reverse the result from 2022.

“It’s just a normal game for us, knowing we’re going to play the best team in the country. That by itself is enough to inspire us to give it our all.

“Playing in the premier division this year would have opened our eyes to the speed of play, the aggression and the intensity of how it is in Trinidad.

“We know it’s not going to be easy. St Benedict’s are the best team in the country and we respect that, but we’re not going to roll over.”

After dismissing championship division team Pleasantville Secondary by a 6-0 margin in the south semis, Benedict’s edged Naparima by a 5-4 margin on penalties on November 22 to lift the south intercol title.

With Marcelle and Signal Hill plotting to spoil the party, coach Ronadolph Boyce and Benedict’s will try to make their return to the national intercol final.