Kevin BryanPaul A. Reid, Senior Staff Reporter
WESTERN BUREAU:
THREE SCHOOLS will be seeking to make it to their first ever Pepsi/Sports Plus daCosta Cup finals this afternoon after the playing of the semi-finals.
Garvey Maceo Comprehensive and William Knibb Memorial High who will meet in one game at Brancourt and Old Harbour High who will meet seven-time champions Rusea's High at St Elizabeth Technical (STETHS), have never been to the final and will be hoping to create history this afternoon.
Both games will be play to finish encounters, starting at 3:00 with the winners advancing to the November 30 final.
Garvey Maceo whose only other semi-final appearance came in the mid-1990s, come into the round with impressive credentials but the two first timers Old Harbour and William Knibb will be hoping to serve as more than cannon fodder in their debut appearance.
Rusea's will have history on their side but the last of their seven titles came nine years ago in 1993.
Old Harbour's coach Kirk Gordon told the Gleaner yesterday he was well aware of Rusea's pedigree and the experience of the coaching staff at this level but his players were "composed and showing no signs of nervousness."
Having won 10 of their 13 games played so far, including winning all three in the quarterfinal round, the Old Harbour team has all right to be confident going into today's games.
The fine form of top scorer Carlington Smith who has scored 17 goals so far along with Fashinu-Ron Nesbeth, Oraine Biggs and Duran Myton is also a solid foundation from which to launch their bid for a place in the finals.
There is one point that both Gordon and Rusea's coach Anthony 'Follies' Williams agree on and that is no team will come into the game with any major advantage.
Williams said their mind set for today's game would be the same as any other game and they will be coming for a win.
The Hanover team will be bolstered by the return of striker Kevin Bryan who missed the last game, a 2-0 win over Munro with a thigh injury.
Bryan will be at around 80 percent fit Williams said but added that this should be enough for the team.
The only thing certain from the game at Brancourt is that one of these two teams will qualify for the finals for the first time ever.
Despite being in the semi-finals for the first time and will be without the top player Delroy Ellis who picked up a third yellow card for kicking away a ball after the whistle in their 3-1 win over Grange Hill, coach Paul 'Tegat' Davis says they are in it to win it, not to just participate.
Davis admitted that the absence of Ellis will be "a big blow" to the team but said that his replacement Oniel Graham and the others will have "to step up and take charge."
Garvey Maceo's coach Vassell Reynolds said that while they have not seen William Knibb play since late August, the statistics would indicate that they are a free scoring team but thinks that his strong defence will be able to nullify this.
The only unbeaten team left in the competition, Garvey Maceo, have conceded just five goals all season long, two of which were penalty kicks and Reynolds thinks they have the best defence of the teams left in the competition.
At the other end of the field, Reynolds thinks the class of national Under17 player Seon Givans will give them an advantage but warned the other teams not to focus too much on the midfielder as goals have come from else where as well.
In addition to Givans, the team's leading seven goals, Jeffrey Nichols and Patrick have scored five each while captain Jevaughn Watson has scored four coming out of his defensive midfield position.
