Long-standing coach Neville ‘Bertis’ Bell has resigned as head coach of St George’s College (STGC) with immediate effect.

According to Our Today impeccable source, Bell, who has been at the helm for nearly 30 years over two stints, told the players and the Board of his decision.

Bell has been one of, if not the longest-standing, coaches in schoolboy football.

St George’s College will enter the Walker Cup under the guidance of assistant coach Marcel Gayle.

St George’s College is the school with the second-most Manning Cup titles at 22. Bell has masterminded the school’s last five titles: 1992, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012. 

The Light Blues have not won the Manning Cup in the last 13 years, but Bell had further success leading them to the Walker Cup crown in 2014 and the all-island Flow Super Cup in 2015.

STGC have fallen behind the top teams in recent years, and this year, they were second in the first-round group behind Excelsior, after losing three games and winning seven of their 10 games.

Then reality kicked in as they were brushed aside in the second round, losing all three games badly. STGC lost to Charlie Smith 2-4, Vauxhall High 1-3 and St Catherine High 1-5, which must have hastened Bell’s decision to step aside.

St George’s are set to play Mona High in the Walker Cup on Wednesday, December 10, and they will do so without Bell, as a great era in the school’s history has come to an end.

Bell, from that great footballing family, also played for STGC in the Manning Cup and was a Jamaica Youth player at the time it was called the Juvenile team.