Following his disappointment at being sacked as Kingston College's Manning Cup coach before the end of the schoolboy football season, former national player Lenworth 'Teacha' Hyde has been appointed Theodore Witmore's assistant for the national Under-20 team.

The veteran coach said that although his appointment came as a surprise to him, he felt good to be back doing what he loves.

stay involved

"I wasn't expecting it, but I was hoping for something and they called me so I am grateful for it. It's great, it feels good, that's how I feel right now, good to be in a job. It's (coaching) something that I love and want to stay involved in, but in football you have to take the good with the bad and move on," he said.

After an impressive schoolboy football season, Hyde believes he and Whitmore will have the talent at their disposal to take the team all the way

"It means a lot to me (to coach youngsters), being that I used to play the game and since the game has been improving both in the daCosta Cup and Manning Cup and we had a very good season this year. They (players) are understanding the game, they are playing good football and so there is talent that we can work with, so it's good to be involved right now to pass on the knowledge.

"We have a tournament in January and we want to hit the ground running and I can't wait to get started," he added..

Hyde has coached at the national junior and senior levels in the past, and has coached three National Premier League winning teams, Portmore, Harbour View and Tivoli Gardens. The national under-20 team will compete in the final stages of the CONCACAF Under-20 championship to be held in Jamaica in January.