SPANISH TOWN, St Catherine — The first major trophy on the St Catherine Football Association calendar will be decided this evening, with Rivoli United and Old Harbour Bay United set to renew rivalry in the LIME/Happy Sutherland Knockout final.

The game (which will be preceded by a top-of-the-table Major League duel between Newlands and Tru-Juice) is scheduled for a 6:00 pm kick-off at the Spanish Town Prison Oval.

Both sides, separated by two divisions, will enter the contest with contrasting forms. Holders Rivoli, who defeated Portmore United en route to the final, are currently on a three-game losing skid in the Red Stripe Premier League, while Old Harbour — though unbeaten after four games into their Major League campaign — sit in midtable on six points.

But, this decider being a one-off encounter, neither camp will pay much attention to the stats.

In fact, for Rivoli, this fixture might be a welcomed break from top flights activities, as they look to regain their winning formula ahead of the final set of preliminary round games in the RSPL. Unlike last season, however, the Monk Street-based team will not have the prolific Devon Hodges, who scored the winner last term, to call on. Instead, they will look to the emerging Corey Burke, who, despite being second on the RSPL scoring chart with 10 goals, is experiencing a slump.

Yet with the likes of Kemar Beckford and Ross Burton available to coach Calvert Fitzgerald, Rivoli will no doubt fancy their chances against a Old Harbour Bay side, who, despite returning to the final, are yet to regain the form which saw them notching high-profile victories over Portmore United and Frazsiers Whip last season.

The central St Catherine side trail early league leaders Tru-Juice by six points, having won only one of their four games thus far. But with a creditable display against Rivoli last time out, losing 1-0, Old Harbour Bay will be motivated by the prospect of upstaging their more celebrated opponents in what is arguably the biggest game on the St Cahterine FA calendar.

Meanwhile, Tru-Juice will put their 100 per cent win record on the line when they take on second-placed Newlands, who are two points back, in the curtain-raiser, which is set for a 4:00 pm start.

While the Linstead-based Tru-Juice are yet to drop a point this season, the Portmore-based Newlands, who are also unbeaten, have been more prolific in front of goal (scoring 11 to their opponents’ eight) and also boast the competition’s joint meanest defence, having conceded only once in four games.

— Oshane Tobias