Molynes United Head Coach Alex Thomas says the Lynk Cup is important to the club because winning it would help to instil belief in the squad as one of the best in the country.

But first, they have to get by Portmore United over two legs in the quarter-finals. The first takes place in a doubleheader at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex today.

Thomas says the Lynk Cup provides a rare chance at a trophy for Molynes, which they must capitalise on.

“The Lynk Cup is very, very important to us,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

“It’s been a while since we had any knockout competitions played in the country. To be amongst the eight is a blessing, especially for a small club like Molynes United to be amongst the elite. You always want to win silverware and that is the culture that we’re building at Molynes right now.”

Molynes advanced to this round after a 2-1 win over Waterhouse FC last month, while Portmore outscored Arnett Gardens 3-2 to claim their place.

Both teams have been involved in games with close scorelines recently, suggesting that tonight’s encounter could end in a stalemate, especially since Portmore have already drawn 11 Jamaica Premier League (JPL) games this season. But their last game was a 2-1 win over Tivoli Gardens in the JPL on Sunday.

Molynes drew their most recent game 2-2 with Faulkland, also on Sunday, and Thomas says he regretted the absence of a number of regular starters there.

“Many of our players were out because of the flu that was going around and we had to use other players, but it was a good performance by the team,” he said. “They came in and put in a shift.

“It [tonight’s game] will be sort of similar to Sunday but with a little bit of adjustments here and there.”

Thomas says Portmore United are not to be taken lightly, but he too expects a close game.

“You know the type of football Portmore plays,” he said. “They’re a quality team that plays attractive football. It’s going to be end-to-end action. It’s two legs and it’s gonna be a coachable game, especially for me. I have to be in tune with my team because you have to know how to manage the first leg going into the second leg, and it’s going to be a good game.”

Efforts to contact Portmore for comment were unsuccessful.

Portmore, meantime, will be without forward Shakeone Satchwell, who left the island on Sunday for a trial at Sturm Graz in Austria. They will look to new signing Alex Marshall to fill the void Satchwell left behind, while Chevaughn Walsh and Siegel Knight will try to carry over their goalscoring form from Sunday into this match.

Although Molynes’ line-up is unsure, Nicholas Nelson will hope to retain his place in the starting 11 after getting on the scoresheet on Sunday. They will also hope for a solid performance from veteran Jermy Nelson in midfield and goals from the team’s top scorer this season, Jason Wright.

Their game kicks off at 7:00 pm.

The opening game sees Tivoli Gardens facing Dunbeholden at 4:00 pm.

Tivoli had a 3-1 win over Faulkland in the previous round, while Dunbeholden advanced with a 4-1 win over Treasure Beach.

Dunbeholden also scored four goals in their last game in which they blanked Montego Bay United through braces from Nickoy Christian and Peter McGregor on Sunday.

Supporters are urged to pay at the gate via the Lynk mobile app and could automatically become eligible to win up to $25,000 in their Lynk wallet. Also, players who score goals will get $5,000 added to their Lynk wallet.