Adrian Frater, News Editor
Left: Glenmuir's Carnell Learmond. Right: Godfrey Stewart's Josimar Crooks. - FILE PHOTOS
WESTERN BUREAU:
THE TWO teams that will contest this Saturday's daCosta Cup final will be decided this afternoon's in semi-final games featuring champions Glenmuir against Mannings at Brancourt, in Clarendon; and Godfrey Stewart against Clarendon College at Jarrett Park, in Montego Bay.
Based on last Saturday's final round of quarter-final matches, which saw all four semi-finalists scoring good wins, this afternoon's matches should produce close and exciting action with Glenmuir and Godfrey Stewart, which are still unbeaten in the competition, favoured to advance to the finals.
Despite having an impressive 100 per cent win record at Brancourt this season, the Glenmuir team should have their hands full against the ambitious Mannings, which is enjoying its best season in schoolboy football. They were in awesome form on Saturday, thrashing Decarteret College 3-0 to earn their semi-final berth.
PLAYING WELL
"The team is playing quite well at this time and we are extremely confident that we can go all the way," said Mannings' assistant coach, former Reggae Boy Aaron Lawrence. "At the start of the season nobody thought we would have gotten this far but we have surprised them. Our plan is to keep surprising our way to the title."
Despite the brashness of the Mannings camp, the Glenmuir team will be hard to contain as the coaching staff has made it quite clear from the start of the season that they will settle for nothing less than the triple - the Ben Francis KO, the daCosta Cup and the Olivier Shield, which they attained last year. They have already won the Ben Francis Cup.
"While football holds no guarantee we are a confident team that believe we have what it takes to retain the title," said Patrick 'Jackie' Walters, their coach.
"The players are aware of their responsibilities and I basically expect them to go out there and do what is expected of them."
While Glenmuir pack an awesome punch with proven goalscorers Carnell Learmond, Moses Jordon, James Thomas and Travol Smith, Mannings could reply to them decisively through their strike force which features Adrian McNair, Akeem Williams and Ashane Foote.
EPIC MATCH-UP
The Jarrett Park game between Godfrey Stewart and Clarendon College should produce an epic match-up between two talented teams, which appear quite hungry for the coveted title. Godfrey Stewart, by virtue of their familiarity with Jarrett Park, could well consider themselves as having the advantage but that could mean very little to their opponents.
"The team is on a high after our recent good results against Glenmuir and Cornwall College and I am sure the players will be aiming to do as well against this Clarendon College team," said Godfrey Stewart's coach Carl Palmer. "The mood in the camp is quite good and we are basically just waiting for game time to go out and get the job done."
BIG WINS
The Clarendon College team, which surged to prominence after finishing second to Denbigh High in Zone H of the preliminary round, was quite rampant in the inter-zone campaign, registering a series of big wins.
While they were less imposing in the quarter-final round, where they had 2-0 and 1-0 wins over Decarteret and Happy Grove, they are a potent unit.
While the Clarendon College coaching staff, which has been strengthened by former national striker Paul 'Tegat' Davis, is not prepared to single out any particular player, the Godfrey Stewart camp will be relying heavily on top players Ryan Smith, skipper Dwayne Williams, Josimar Crooks and the diminutive Donald Hewitt.
