Albion Mountain will be conducting additional exercises to strengthen their mental capacity as a main part of their preparation to win the Magnum Eastern Confederation Super League football final against Mount Pleasant on Saturday at Drax Hall in St Ann.

“This week we’ll do some intensive training to prepare us mentally, not physically, because physically we are there already as we have pure youths mainly on our team,” said Lincoln Small, head coach of the St Mary team.

Thanks to a rousing 3-0 first-leg away win against St Georges Sports Club at Lynch Park, Buff Bay, the Albion Mountain advanced 4-2 on aggregate. Portland’s St Georges won the second leg match 2-1 at the weekend, but it was a case of too little, too late.

“In our last leg semi-finals we played the first half very shabby, but we managed to come back into our own in the second half. The occasion seemed as if it got to them at that time, so they did not follow the instructions,” Small noted.

“We played an undisciplined first half. In the second half we were a little bit more disciplined and it worked for us.”

Mount Pleasant, coached by former national stand-out forward Paul ‘Tegat’ Davis, advanced 3-1 on aggregate after winning their second leg semi-final 2-0 over Priory Academy at Drax Hall. Kesslon Hall did the damage, scoring a double in minutes 46 and 90+2. The first leg finished 1-1.

Small noted a familiarity that could work in his team’s favour.

“We know the weaknesses of Mount Pleasant and some of the players there also used to play for us. Notwithstanding, we are going there to win because we want to be champions,” he said.

“This is our second time around in this final to go to the Premier League play-offs and we were first booted out by Priory. Now Priory is not there so it is Mount Pleasant, so we have to get by Mount Pleasant and win.

“We know they’re pumped up and we’re looking forward to it,” added Small.

The winner of the Magnum Eastern Confederation Super League will advance to the four-team play-off of confederation champions and battle for a place in the Premier League. The top two teams will qualify.