Kingston vs St Catherine

Kingston College (KC) and St Catherine High, two schools bearing the names of the parishes from which they hail, will put it all on the line today at 6:15 p.m. at the National Stadium as they face off in the ISSA Manning Cup final.

The Manning Cup final will be the feature match of a double header at the venue as Mona High and Excelsior High will take to the field at 3 p.m. to contest the final of the ISSA Walker Cup knockout competition.

Sixteen-time champions KC will be hoping they can rain on the parade of first-time finalists St Catherine at the end of the most pivotal 90 minutes of football for both schools this season.

KC enter the contest fresh off a tightly fought 2-0 win over Hydel High in the semi-finals while St Catherine punched their tickets to the final when they clipped Jamaica College (JC) 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation time.

Vassell Reynolds, head coach of KC, said it is a challenge to prepare for the final as the quick turnaround from the semi-finals on Tuesday has given the team little time to recover.

However, he is confident his players’ abilities will prove the difference against St Catherine.

“It’s very tough on the boys, but we just have to recuperate quickly and be ready because it’s a big thing come Friday” he explained.

“It will be more of a mental preparation, I think. We will do some walk-throughs, and we’ll prepare by assessing our opponents. We’ll, largely, be depending on our abilities, but we’ll have to take on what the opponents bring to the table.”

For Anthony Patrick, head coach of St Catherine, he is eyeing history as he is 90 minutes away from bringing home the school’s first ever Manning Cup trophy and just the third Manning title for the parish.

Patrick had twice led Bridgeport to the holy grail in 2001 and 2006 and believes third time is the charm when he steps up to the plate once again.

“I think so. I think it would be nicer to win this for the school itself that’s named after the parish and that is very close and important for me,” he pledged.

Patrick said their appearance in the final is no coincidence as the programme has been years in the making.

He explained that when his players take to the field, it will be a winning mindset rather than a playing style that will prove the deciding factor.

“This was something in the making. This is the third season - and fourth season for a few of them also. It’s about eight to nine of these players who have played the last three years together,” he said.

“The performance can be varied. You can want to pass and move the ball around on the day. Anything can happen that can work. It is about the mindset really and what they have to do to get the job done.”