SHAYNE FAIRMAN, STAR Writer

Wolmer's Boys will be going hard for national under-17 football coach Andrew Edwards to replace Ludlow Bernard as coach of the school's Manning Cup team.

"Mr Edwards certainly fits our profile at Wolmer's," school principal, Dr Walton Small, told STAR Sports at the recent Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards ceremony.

"We have been looking at a number of coaches and he is one of them. We are still in negotiations and we will see what those will be," he added.

Edwards himself has blasted what he termed "publicised speculation", linking him with a move to the Heroes Circle-based institution, as unprofessional and irresponsible.

"What most people don't understand is that we are not in a professional environment, and all these speculations only serve to create wedges, rather than build bridges," Edwards chided.

"I am permanently employed as a teacher at Munro College (St Elizabeth) and everything else is part-time," he added.

However, a STAR source revealed last week that Edwards has been given the nod, and is near committing to coaching duties with the school.

"Based on my knowledge, no contract is signed yet, but it's almost a done deal. The management committee, Old Boys, principal, and members, has met to discuss Edwards appointment," our source indicated.

"By the end of the month a contract should be signed," our source said.

Wolmer's is a traditional Manning Cup powerhouse, having won the premier school boy title 10 times already. They came close, but not close enough, in recent seasons. Bernard led them as 2013 finalists. They won the Walker Cup that same year, but were eliminated at the semi-final stage last season.

Small explained that the school's approach to winning the Manning Cup is a long-term one.

"We always think long term, so that is one of the reasons why we are not rushing into making a decision," he assured.

Meanwhile, Small described Bernard as "an excellent coach" who "did an excellent job". The coach resigned late last year, after serving three of four contracted seasons.

Small, however, underscored that his school will be very competitive in coming seasons.

"We are really building up our under-16 and under-14 programmes. We have good young players, so I think recruiting should be a thing of the past for us."

The principal also said he accepts star athlete Jaheel Hyde's decision to quit football.

"His focus is now on track and field. though we would love to have him playing football, we believe that the needs of the student must be met," he concluded.