‘I always wanted this trophy’

Having won their first and only Olivier Shield title in 1999, Omar ‘Rambo’ Wedderburn, head coach of reigning daCosta Cup champions St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS), says his team is taking this year’s final against Excelsior very seriously as they aim to secure another schoolboy football title. The game will be played on January 10 at the National Stadium.

Wedderburn, who guided the Santa Cruz-based institution to their sixth daCosta Cup crown on December 20 and their first since 2015, admitted that while the Olivier Shield may not have always been the main focus in previous seasons, this time around things are different.

“I always wanted this trophy. I was a part of it when we last won it in 1999, and so it has been a long time since I felt that glory; and so it is something that we would really like to win,” said Wedderburn.

“In 1999, that was the only time that we have ever won the Olivier Shield, and so if I come here and say that I don’t want to win it then I would be telling you a lie.”

“I think in previous years when we won the daCosta Cup competition, we didn’t pay much attention to the Olivier Shield and it is here. And we are here now, and so why not give it a try. It is going to be a good game because Excelsior is a pretty nice team,” Wedderburn added.

He pointed out that preparations have been smooth as his team fine-tunes its approach ahead of the final.

“Everything is going good so far because we don’t have any complaints, and so we are here just doing the necessary changes leading up to this game. We are just focusing on the positives to see if we can go ahead, and see if we can crown ourselves champions,” he added.

Wedderburn also underscored that while the players enjoyed a brief break following their daCosta Cup triumph, their attention has now fully shifted to the challenge ahead.

“Everybody has gotten their holiday and we are back here just focusing on the task ahead of us. And like I have said, yesterday’s success doesn’t have anything to do with tomorrow’s achievements, and so they understand. So everybody here is doing their best leading up to this game,” he stated. Excelsior are the reigning Manning Cup champions.