1 month ago
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FANS OF schoolboy football are set for a classic showdown today as Kingston College (KC), the Famed Purples of North Street, are set to re-ignite their rivalry with Jamaica College (JC), the True Blues of Old Hope Road, at Stadium East in the second round of quarter-final matches in the ISSA Manning Cup.
Both teams had been drawn in Group A of the quarter-final round, with KC leading the way with three points following their 5-0 demolition of Tivoli Gardens High on Friday.
JC, on the other hand, are joint second in the group, with Mona High on a point apiece as both teams played out a thrilling 1-1 draw in their opening match of the quarter-finals.
KC will enter the fixture confident about the potency of their attack, having scored 85 goals this season. However, JC cannot be scoffed at either, having notched 75 of her own.
KC are also marginally better defensively, having conceded seven goals to JC’s nine.
JC, however, does hold a better record this season, having yet to be beaten, while KC had a stutter in a 1-0 loss to St Andrew Technical High School.
Today’s fixture will be their first meeting in the Manning Cup in three seasons, the two knocking heads in the 2021 final with KC edging a 5-4 penalty shoot out after the two played to a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
KC’s head coach, Vassell Reynolds, tips his boys to show their attacking strength.
“We set our sights on getting three points in the first game and we’re still figuring this thing out,” he said.
“Based on how we’ve been playing, we’ve been creating a lot of chances. Even the game we lost against STATHS, we created a lot of chances and that’s pretty much how we’ll continue.”
Mona vs Tivoli Gardens
Defending champions Mona High will take aim at Tivoli Gardens with the expectations of collecting all three points.
However, it may not be all smooth sailing for the Craig Butler-led team, as Tivoli will be looking for redemption after shipping five unanswered goals to KC in their last outing.
Over in Group B, early leaders St Catherine will look to continue their unbeaten streak this season when they take on Hydel at the Spanish Town Prison Oval.
Hydel were held 1-1 against Excelsior in muddy conditions on Saturday and will be hoping for a better performance against the high-flying St Catherine unit.
Campion College will be looking to rebound from their opening defeat but will face a tough task against Excelsior when they face off at Stadium East.
Today’s matches
Campion College vs Excelsior High at Stadium East (2 p.m.)
KC vs JC at Stadium East (4:15 p.m.)
Tivoli vs Mona at St George’s College (3 p.m.)
English (US) ·