BATTLE OF THE NORTH
STORIED RIVALS brace for battle in an ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup final for the ages – for one, a chance to break an agonising wait for glory, while for the other, the opportunity to return to the ways of recent triumphs.
The National Stadium will be buzzing with excitement this evening when Kingston
College (KC) meet North
Street rivals St George’s
College (ST GC) for the
Corporate Area schoolboy football crown, with the first ball set to be kicked at 6:00 p.m.
In the curtain-raiser, both teams will also clash in the final of the
Colts Under-16 competition, with that game set for a 3:30 p.m. kick-off.
This is the first time that
both teams are meeting for the Manning Cup title, but the STGC faithful will be quick to remind everyone that the last time both teams met in a final, they came out 2-1 winners over the Purples in the 2011 Walker Cup competition. That was then.
KC, who are seeking their 15th hold on the title, will enter today’s contest desperate to lift a trophy they have not touched since 1986.
The Georgians have also had to wait – not nearly as long, mind you – but Neville Bell and his boys have had to look on as Jamaica College plundered and pillaged all over the last five years, taking over from the ‘Light Blues’, who won back-to-backtitles in 2011-2012, adding to similar consecutive success in 2008 and 2009.
UNBEATEN
The Ludlow Bernard-coached KC, who, like St George’s, are unbeaten in the Manning Cup this season, secured their spot in the final with a 2-1 win over St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) in the semis and will be led by Ugandan Ari Rodgers, who provided both assists in that contest during a Man-of-the-Match performance.
“It is going to be about two teams that are very passionate about football and very passionate about history and tradition, and that is what is going to make it a spectacle on Friday,” said Bernard, who, despite leading KC to the Champions Cup and Walker Cup titles in the last two seasons, knows very well that this is the one that truly matters.
For all the questions about his future in the event the Manning Cup title isn’t delivered, Bernard, who coached Wolmer’s for five seasons before joining KC in 2015, has won a title in four of the last six campaigns – two Walker Cup titles with Wolmer’s and a Champions Cup (Super Cup) and Walker Cup crown with KC. He knows what it takes to win and believes his team is ready for the test.
“Physically, they are ready. The real test is their mental fortitude because that is what is going to take them across the line,” Bernard said.
Along with Rodgers, KC will be depending heavily on strikers Oneeko Allen and Treyvon Reid, who have both netted 10 and nine goals, respectively, this season, with Saquille Smith, Dwayne Atkinson, Renato Campbell, and Ronaldo Robinson also likely to play key roles.
After an under-the-radar campaign, St George’s College shot to life in the business end of the season and booked their spot in the final with an impressive 2-1 win over dethroned kings Jamaica College.
The Light Blues are aiming for their 23rd Manning Cup title, and head coach Bell reports that his team is eager and confident to win the contest and return to the top of the local schoolboy football hill.
“We are a confident bunch, and so even if we didn’t beat JC and we ended up in the final, we would be confident about this,” said Bell. “They are a good team, and we wish them good luck, but we want this and if we don’t win, it won’t be because we were not prepared, or we were nervous. As long as we put out our best, we will be okay.
“They (KC) have been hungry for 32 years ... . They have had good teams over the years, but this competition is not easy to win because to win any competition, almost everything has to be right,” Bell added.
LOOKING TO LEAD THE ATTACK
St George’s will be led by their inspirational captain and central midfielder Cheva Denton along with central defender Leacroft Lettman. Damani Harris, Emelio Rousseau, and Chantomoi Taylor in attack, as well as midfielders Nathaniel Campbell and Jaheim Brown in midfield, will look to lead STGC to the title over their neighbours.
They are both unbeaten, but this must change tonight. For KC, the prospect couldn’t have been better – break the drought against the old foe, while STGC would take tremendous pride in winning another title at their rivals’ expense.