Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter

Calabar's coach- Hunt, Bridgeport's coach- Patrick, Eltham's captain - Hunter and Excelsior's Nelson.

The teams that have monopolised schoolboy football 's Manning Cup for the last three years, Calabar and Excelsior, will battle St. Catherine teams Bridgeport and Eltham when the semi-finals in the ISSA/ Pepsi/JN-sponsored competition kick off at 1:00 p.m. today at Harbour View Mini Stadium.

In the opener, defending champions Calabar will put their title on the line when they face a team that was certainly one of the most unlikely to be in the semi-finals, Bridgeport.

The Portmore team seemed undoubtedly headed back to the training ground when they drew their first two games of the second round. However, a big win against Jonathan Grant in their last game and a number of seemingly improbable scenarios in the next group saw them surprisingly into the final four.

But, now Bridgeport, who are a team that has struggled to be consistent all season long, will face a tough task when they come face to face with a Calabar team who could be reaching their peak at just the right time.

"We have been playing well throughout the second round and we are definitely looking forward to the semi-finals," Calabar's coach David Hunt was quoted as saying.

On a good day, however, there is no doubting that the 2002 champions can hold their ground against any team in the league.

"We just can't wait for that game, the guys are upbeat and we are looking forward to playing some exciting and attractive football," said Bridgeport coach Anthony Patrick.

At 3:00 p.m., 2003-04 champions Excelsior will face an Eltham team that had been eliminated from the competition altogether, but were given a second chance when qualifier's Spanish Town withdrew from the competition after using ineligible players.

Eltham are yet to be beaten this season and the return of suspended captain and midfield architect Tremaine Stewart will definitely see them start favourites against Excelsior. In addition the threat of left flank player Jamoy Sibbles and the hard-working strike pair of Dwayne Hunter and Rayon White up front should see the Excelsior back line with their hands full.

Advantage

Eltham also have the advantage of having come from behind to beat Excelsior 2-1 when the teams met in the Walker Cup quarter-finals.

Underestimating a young, yet very disciplined Leebert Halliman-coached Excelsior would, however, be a grave mistake. They will have plenty of firepower of their own whenever midfielder Akeem Nelson and the always dangerous Alanzo Adlam, who are usually brought to the pitch as substitutes, are introduced to the game and certainly have the tactical discipline to hold their opponents scoreless.