A goal feast is expected in today’s 88th ISSA Pepsi/Digicel Manning Cup football final between defending champions St George’s College and Bridgeport – two of the competition’s top-scoring teams – at the National Stadium starting at 3:00 pm.

The third-place play-off between Execlsior and St Andrew Technical will precede the championship decider at 1:00 pm

St George’s, who are targeting their 19th hold on the Manning Cup title, have scored 49 goals and conceded 7, while two-time winners Bridgeport have netted 47 goals and given up four. Only Walker winners Jamaica College (JC) have scored more than both finalists in the Manning Cup with a whopping 61 goals.

The ‘Light Blues’ of North Street, who lost the Walker Cup final on October 30 to JC, secured their place in today’s Manning Cup final by beating seven-time winners Excelsior 3-0 in semi-final action last Saturday.

McKauly Tulloch netted all three goals to extend his team leading tally to 18.

Coach Neville ‘Bertis’ Bell, who guided St George’s to their last two titles in 1992 and 2008, is beaming with confidence ahead of this afternoon’s match-up, which is expected to be keen in every sense.

“Bridgeport is a quality team, they’ve been to the finals many times and they’ve won it a couple of times, so we know they’re going to come hard against us, but we expected this,” Bell said. “We are in the final and it’s not supposed to be easy… but we are confident that if we do what we are supposed to, we will do well,” he added, noting that much attention will have to be paid to Darren Mattocks who have scored a competition topping 23 goals.

“(He’s a) tough player (so) we have to mark (him),” said Bell, who is also a television broadcaster.

The former national youth coach told the Observer that retaining nine starters from last year’s winning team has made the difference so far this season and hopes that their experience will pay dividends again today.

“They’re not all on the field now and we have some injuries and they didn’t all play all season, but this is a good squad and to have nine from a team that won, then get three national youth players (Tulloch, Marvin Morgan and Jhuvon Francis) we’re really not surprised that we have done well,” noted Bell.

Francis, who underwent a knee operation on October 15, played the entire 90 minutes of the semi-finals on his return last weekend. Morgan with nine goals, Davion Kelly Cup (seven) and Carl Reid (five) are also scoring threaths for St Georges.

Bridgeport, who are aiming for their third lien on the Manning Cup trophy under coach Anthony Patrick, will be depending on strikers Mattocks and Adoah Nikle (seven goals) as well as midfielders Jameil Hardware (seven) and Kenrick Preston (five).

“Over the last two games Adoah Nikle has done well, he scored a double in the eight-nil drubbing that we gave Waterford, Mattocks got five and Hardware got one and in the semi-finals it was Preston, so it is the senior players that have been scoring for us,” Patrick said.

The coach, who lost the 2003 and 2007 finals to Excelsior and JC respectively, indicated that his team will not be taking St George’s lightly.

“I don’t believe it will be a goal feast. The only way that will happen is if both teams go out there and drop their guard and don’t play a disciplined game. Both teams have done well offensively and defensively,” he argued, but noted that the match will be keenly contested.

Manning Cup trophies by finalists:

St Georges – 2008, 1992, 1984, 1983, 1959, 1955, 1948,1947, 1945, 1937, 1936, 1935, 1932, 1929, 1928, 1927, 1920.

Bridgeport – 2006, 2001