St Elizabeth Technical High coach Andrew Edwards (left) and his Under-16 captain Carson Findley pose with the rural championship trophy after their triumph over Glenmuir High. - Richard Bryan

Beaten daCosta Cup finalists St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) showed evidence of a strong football programme when they defeated Glenmuir High 1-0 to win the rural Under-16 title.

In the final played at Manchester High on Tuesday, STETHS got the all-important goal through Jovaney Brown with five minutes remaining on an 80-minute contest.

Winning coach Andrew Edwards saw the win as an atonement for the daCosta Cup finals they lost by the same margin four days earlier to Rusea's.

"We didn't want to lose two finals in a row, so that was part of the motivation," he told STAR Sports.

He revealed that winning the Under-16 title was strategic to their plan of adding to the three daCosta Cup titles already in the bag.

"This is a good sign for STETHS," he commented.

"In 2008, we won the Under-16 and went on to win the daCosta Cup. We will look to do that again."

The first half went Glenmuir's way, and they were unlucky not to be credited with a goal but for a number of dubious off side calls. However, STETHS came out the stronger side in the second half. The winning goal was predictable after Glenmuir had come under sustained pressure for most of the second half.

Donjay Smith had earlier come close when his free kick evaded all to strike the wide angle of the left upright. Glenmuir's goalkeeper had made several outstanding saves, but in the end it was he who made the crucial mistake when he beckoned his defenders to leave an advancing ball which he eventually missed.

Smith, a product of the STETHS Under-14 programme, pounced on the loose ball and lobbed it over everyone's head and into the back of the net.

STETHS, the Ben Francis champions, could win more football silverware this season when they take on Corporate Area Under-16 champions Excelsior High at the Constant Spring field tomorrow.