THE overwhelming feeling here in south-central Jamaica is that Manchester High will eventually win a major schoolboy football title, but not until they can exorcise their demons, for that’s exactly what St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) is to them.

In the last five years, STETHS have beaten Manchester in three finals — the 2009 daCosta Cup decider at Jarrett Park, plus two Ben Francis Cup finals in 2011 and 2013.

Today, they’ll meet for the fourth time in six seasons, but on this occasion there’ll be significantly less riding on this fixture. In fact, Manchester can even afford to lose this game and still end the season with three trophies.

By virtue of winning their first two Inter-zone games in Zone Three, both sides have already advanced to the quarter-finals of the daCosta Cup. This top-of-the-table clash in Santa Cruz will, however, serve as a qualifier for the lucrative LIME Super Cup.

On this setting, Manchester coach Donovan Duckie believes this is a crucial fixture. “It is important, not only because the winner qualifies for the LIME Cup. It is our biggest test so far,” said Duckie. “It will be our measuring stick, to see where we stand, what we need to adjust going forward.”

And despite the relevance of the game, Duckie expects his players to enter the contest void of the psychological barricade that seems to dog them before an important meeting with STETHS.

Duckie said: “I might be new to the rivalry, but I know what has happened in the past and we are definitely going there with the intention of setting the record straight.

“Before I came to Manchester High, and even throughout the summer, I have seen STETHS play, and one of the things they have over other teams is their never-say-die attitude. They have been dominant, not only because they have good players, but also because they are fearless.

“That is the kind of approach that we have to take against them. We have to be courageous.”