MANNING Cup champions St George’s College will tackle daCosta Cup titleholders Glenmuir High in the firstleg ISSA All-Island Olivier Shield football final at Constant Spring Complex this afternoon, starting at 3:00.

The glitzy St George’s, guided by shrewd coach Neville Bell, put on a football clinic in annihilating Hydel High, 3-0, in the Urban Area decider at the National Stadium less than two weeks ago and will start favourites.

However, the rural area champions are guided by the wily veteran Patrick ‘Jackie’ Walters, who has chalked up an enviable record in schoolboy football spanning over two decades.

But the North Street boys have been a dominant force in schoolboy football recently, winning four Manning Cup titles in five years. Having copped the Olivier Shield in 2008, 2009 and 2011, the ‘Light Blues’ will be looking to duplicate that record over two legs, starting today.

Last season’s all-conquering treble winners have lost only two competitive matches since 2010 — one a 1-2 Walker Cup Knock-out defeat against Wolmer’s Boys, and the other a 2-3 result against Camperdown when Bell rested a number of his regular starters.

The sheer brilliance of their assault on Hydel and the equally comfortable defeat of Wolmer’s in the semi-final proves the stylish St George’s are able to rise when the stakes are high.

Boasting National Under-20 players Zhelano Barnes, Oshane Boothe, Andre Lewis, Mark Brown, Romario Jones and goalkeeper Nico Campbell, along with former Under-17 representative Cardel Benbow, this team is a formidable one.

While the diminutive Benbow used his speed and trickery to dazzle Wolmer’s with a brace in the semis, the silky-smooth Lewis mesmerised Hydel with deft touches in the final.

But despite the praises aimed at the St George’s contingent, Bell told the Jamaica Observer he expects Glenmuir to provide a real test.

“I saw the Glenmuir team and I know they are pretty decent. They won the daCosta Cup, so you expect them to be quite good…,” he said.

“Glenmuir are led by the master ‘Jackie’ Walters and he has plenty experience and he is a quality coach. It is a big game for us but these are the games we want,” Bell added.

Asked about the likelihood of St George’s repeating their classy Manning Cup final display on a less-than-ideal Constant Spring surface, Bell chose to focus on the positives.

“We’d have preferred to play this leg at the Stadium, but we have no problems (with the Constant Spring field)… both teams will have to play on it. We’ll be fine with it and it’s a surface we’re used to,” he said.

Meanwhile, Glenmuir skipper Kamal Henry will lead his troops into battle knowing the odds are stocked against them. He is confident, however, they can execute a fair result.

That optimism partially stems from their giant-killing act against St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) in the daCosta Cup final at Montego Bay Sports Complex on Saturday.

The May Pen school has won two previous titles and a handful of Ben Francis KO trophies, but went into their last final as underdogs.

No one, except the faithful, thought Glenmuir would go all the way. Walters’ boys flew under the radar all season and only came to prominence when they dispatched Manning’s, 3-0, in the semi-final.

At that point the media started to take notice, but captain Henry and his teammates always believed they would become champions.

“We had no doubt that we could have won the daCosta Cup because we have quality players,” he said. “With the exception of a few players from the Under-16 programme, we’ve been playing together from last year so we know we have a good team.”

Looking forward to today, he added: “Football is going to do all the talking, so may the best team win on the day.”

Glenmuir’s only defeat was a 1-0 loss to Garvey Maceo in the group stage. It means Walters’ side finished second in Group M. But given his record for producing winning schoolboy teams, he knew that was but a blip on the road to success.

However, he admits repeating Saturday’s feat against the back-to-back champions will be a tougher assignment.

“We’re still in recovery mode, so it’s going to be a difficult task, but we are up to the challenge. To play against a team like St George’s with a coach like (Neville) ‘Bertis’ Bell, you definitely have to prepare…,” he said.

“The conditions just don’t give us the affordable time to prepare for such a game, but that is the reality that we have to face. Winning with the sort of effort that we put in on Saturday, the emotions are high, so to come down now will be a task that we will have to deal with…,” he added.

Bell’s Manning champions have provided the best selection of schoolboy teams for the past five seasons and will enter the showdown as favourites.

That means Glenmuir will again play the role of the underdogs; but it’s a role they play quite well

“In reality they’re the favourites, without a doubt,” Walters admitted. “That is football and it’s a game of great uncertainties, so we have no problem (being the underdogs); that is what makes football so fascinating.”