MONTEGO BAY, St James — Two-time winners St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) and first-time finalists Manchester High meet at Jarrett Park this afternoon at 3:00 to decide the 54th champion of the ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel daCosta Cup schoolboy football competition.

After a gruelling journey lasting nearly four months, STETHS — winners in 1974 and 1999 — and Manchester — who are contesting their first ever final — are expected to produce one of the best games seen in the final in a long time, even if they were not the teams fancied to be on show today.

STETHS, who were second to arch-rivals Munro College in Zone E of the first round, were forced into ‘must-win’ games in the previous two rounds, including one against today’s opponents, to advance, while Manchester defied the odds to advance ahead of defending champions St James High, Garvey Maceo and Ben Francis Knock-Out champions Glenmuir.

STETHS appear to have an edge in offence, having scored 11 goals between the quarter-final and semi-final, including a 6-0 hammering of Frome, while Manchester have managed just six goals over the same period.

Manchester led all schools with 54 goals in the first round, but have scored only 12 goals from their next six games, which coach Barry Watson has attributed to “tougher opposition and playing out of their comforts zone in central Jamaica”.

While either team has potentially game winning strikers in Manchester’s Jason Johnson and STETHS’ Deshorn Brown, the match is expected to be a classic match-up between two defensively sound teams.

STETHS have conceded just nine goals all season, while Manchester have allowed 11.

As they did last week in the semi-final against St James, Manchester’s coaching staff could employ a man marker on Brown, who is headed for the Golden Boot Award after scoring nine of his school’s 15 goals since the start of the Inter-zone round.

The 18 year-old Brown, who has scored a total of 24 goals so far this season, is the key to a STETHS victory, but coach Andrew Edwards disagrees saying, “One of our advantages is that we don’t depend on just one player and our defensive organisation has been the key all season long.”

STETHS will, however, be without two regular starters — right-back Eugene Wright and central midfielder Ramone Reid — due to suspensions.

Up to Thursday night, Edwards said he had not decided who would replace them, but it is likely to be Ricardo Peart and Kemar Morgan.

Edwards, who will be in his second final after taking Titchfield there in 2003, admitted the absence of Wright ands Reid would “affect the team to some extent”, but said whoever came in for them would have contributed to the team’s effort earlier and are competent.

Manchester will have all their players available, but Coach Watson says there are some concerns about the fitness of captain Baron Watson, who suffered a stress fracture in September which flared up in the semi-final last weekend, forcing him to be replaced.

That apart, Watson says his team is “prepared mentally”, and after losing to STETHS earlier in the season, the coaching staff would meet yesterday to decided on the best team to take the field, as well as the game tactics.

Edwards said while his team would have a psychological advantage after their earlier win, his team will not rest easier as he was sure Manchester would change their approach to the game.

Edwards said: “Once my team stay focused, once we play (up) to our standards, we will come out victorious.”

Watson thinks playing at Jarrett Park in successive weeks will be to their advantage after winning there against a Montego Bay team last weekend.

Both coaches are also expecting to have solid backing, despite supporters being forced to travel in excess of 90 minutes to get to the venue.

Watson said the “support staff at Manchester High is one of, if not the best in the island, and those whose job is to see to this, will ensure that as many of our supporters are there”.

While blaming the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) for moving the game from STETHS, forcing both sets of supporters to travel long distances, Edwards said the STETHS support will not be lacking.