By Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer DEFENDING CHAMPIONS Bridgeport will be gunning for their third consecutive win in the 2002 Pepsi/Sports Plus Manning Cup schoolboys football competition when they take on Denham Town at Ferdie Neita Park today at 3:30 p.m.
Anthony Patrick, coach of the Bridgeport team, believes Denham Town will be no match for his team, which retained eight starters from last year's winning squad.
"I will accept nothing less than a victory against Dehman Town tomorrow (today)", Patrick said.
"This is how we plan to approach all our games this season, we are planning to win all our preliminary round games before the quarter-finals, which is going to be the crucial round. Knowing the Denham Town team over the years, they have never had a really strong team and should not prevent us from taking all three points," he said.
However, Bridgeport will be missing last year's top goalscorer, Kemar Petrekin, who is nursing an injury.
Denham Town's coach, Patrick Bennett, said the fitness of his team was the problem in its first game - a 2-2 draw with St. Catherine - but come today, his boys were ready for the defending champions and nothing but a win would be accepted.
Meanwhile, last year's beaten finalists, Spanish Town, and Wolmer's kick off their 2002 campaigns with home games against Penwood (zero points) and first-round winners Excelsior (three) at Spanish Town Prison Oval and Heroes Circle respectively, starting at 3:30 p.m.
In other games, Calabar, who drew 2-2 with Greater Portmore in their opening match, will take on Ardenne, who went down 1-0 to Holy Trinity at Calabar, Haile Selassie (one) host Innswood (three) at Tinson Pen, Camperdown (zero) face Campion (three) at Vauxhall field, St. Catherine (one) tackle Meadowbrook (zero) at St. Johns Road in the other 3:30 p.m. games.
Greater Portmore (one point) take on Ascot (zero) at Ferdie Neita and Clan Carthy (one) go up against Donald Quarrie (zero) at Vauxhall field at 1:30 p.m.
