St George’s head coach Jarreau Hayward is adamant that lessons have been learnt from his side’s recent thrashing by PHC as they prepare to resume rivalry in the FA Cup semi-final at Devonshire Rec on Wednesday night.

The teams again face off just four days after PHC cemented their place at the top of the Premier Division by dealing a fatal blow to St George’s own title challenge in a comfortable 4-0 win at PHC Field on Saturday.

Hayward is steadfast in his belief that there have been no lasting scars left as the team attempts to make amends and fulfil their aspiration of lifting silverware this season.

“Personally, and collectively, none of us at the club are worried about revenge, we’re focused purely on ourselves and making sure we put right the small details that let us down in the previous match,” Hayward said.

“As always you learn a lot more from defeats, I’ve always held on to that belief, and so now it is up to us to rectify things and learn from those lessons. We have a young group but the last defeat hasn’t deterred anyone. The squad is super hungry to put things right and learn from the other night.

“Maybe we have a point to prove to ourselves but we’re not worried about anyone else. The spirit is really high in the squad and there is a big desire to go on and reach the final. We’ve not been here too often but we remain confident because we all want to get across the line.

“It would mean the world to be able to go on and win the title because we all know what it would mean to the whole community. It would give them all something to cheer and be reward for all the people who give everything behind the scenes.”

In what will be the fourth encounter between the sides this season, PHC hold the psychological edge after winning the first league encounter 3-2 last November, as well as securing a 3-0 victory in the Friendship Trophy quarter-final a month later.

While that fact is not lost on Hayward, he expects PHC to take his side seriously as he anticipates a hard-fought encounter between the teams.

“I’m in no doubt that PHC will not come into this match taking us lightly because they know that it will be a battle between us,” he said.

“Both teams are more than capable of scoring goals and usually it has been about who can get that first goal, so we need to do a lot better to be ready to try to do that.

“I’m not expecting anything less from PHC in terms of the level of their play. They are one of the top teams on the island and we know the qualities they will bring.

“When you play a team like PHC you have to put away the chances that come your way. You also can’t afford to switch off defensively because you know a team like that can really punish you, which they have done previously this season.

“This season we’ve been good at doing that at both ends of the field but last time out we were not at our normal level.

“We also know we are capable of beating anyone. We may not be as developed as a team as PHC but we’ve come a long way for a new team and we have to take confidence from that.”

While the core of his side is made up of young talent, Hayward is confident there are enough leaders within the squad to handle the semi-final pressure.

“We may be a young squad but we have leadership qualities all around the dressing room, there are certainly no lack of leaders at this club,” he said.

“As a squad we have already made tremendous progress already, hopefully we can continue with that and end it on a high.”