Champions collide!
Cornwall, JC lock horns in marquee KO finale
CORNWALL COLLEGE’S head coach, Dr Dean Weatherly, said that his team is anticipating a very difficult contest when they tackle Jamaica College (JC) in today’s final of the ISSA Champions Cup at the Montego Bay Sports Complex starting at 5:30 p.m. Cornwall College, who are seeking their first hold on the title, were beaten by Wolmer’s Boys 1-0 in the 2016 final, while JC, winners of the last five Manning Cup titles, were dethroned after they were beaten 2-1 by St George’s College in Tuesday’s semi-final at the National Stadium. Weatherly is expecting a reaction from JC but warned that his players are up for it and are looking forward to putting on an impressive performance for their home fans, considering that this is the first Champions Cup (formerly Super Cup) final in rural Jamaica.”We know that they (JC) are coming all guns blazing based on what happened in the week with them and St George’s, but it is a final and in a final, is either you want it or you don’t want it,” said Weatherly.
”I think whether they are wounded or not, I expect them to come at their best, and we are preparing for a very hard game because this one is not one to be taken lightly,” he said. ”Our previous history with JC is not a very good one because we have played them twice and lost, and so the third time coming up now, I think it is our time now to turn the tables,”Weatherly added.
CONFIDENT OF VICTORY
Cornwall College, who secured their spot in the final with a 2-0 win over St George’s College, will be depending heavily on the likes of Aiden Jakomobo, who has netted 19 goals this season, along with Shavon McDonald and Matthew Thorpe. Meanwhile, Andrew Peart, head coach at JC, whose team last won the coveted knockout title in 2014, said he is confident of victory. ”We have to use this game to get over the disappointment of losing in the semi-finals of the Manning Cup, and so the key thing is to prepare the boys for Cornwall,” said Peart. ”I am confident in our team’s ability to rise to the challenge. As champions, you may fall down, but the defeat is not fatal and we have to use the situation on Tuesday to motivate us to do even better than we did there,” he added. “There is no greater expectations than that which we have of ourselves. We want to do well, and so we will be motivated and prepared to play,” Peart pointed out. The Dark Blues will be depending heavily on the likes of Norman Campbell and Shaniel Thomas to lead them to victory.