Defending champions Glenmuir will battle Jamaica College (JC) in the ISSA Champions Cup at the National Stadium today at 5:00 pm.

Glenmuir, highly favoured to defend their title, aims to become the first team in the competition’s history to retain the trophy. The Andrew Peart-coached team, which has been in stellar form this season, secured their spot in the final with an emphatic 5-1 win over Ocho Rios in the semi-finals on Wednesday.

JC, on the other hand, advanced to the final with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Hydel. Peart is no stranger to JC, as he has deep ties to the school, having won three Manning Cup titles as an assistant coach before leading the team as head coach during the 2018 season.

He expressed confidence in his team’s preparation for what he expects to be a thrilling encounter.

“We are in another final and we pretty much want to come out and display the things that have been going well for us,” he said. “It is a quick turnaround from the semi-final to the final, so we just have to manage the process between both games and turn up on Saturday as fresh as possible.”

Peart says JC is a solid all-round side, but he is confident his team is ready to meet the challenge head-on.

“We are always confident to play, but in expressing that confidence, we are also very humbled to know that the execution of the game is not done before the game,” he said. “In the game, we have to be really hard-working and ready to adapt to whatever they throw at us. There is no pressure on us because the only thing that we pride ourselves on is turning up to the games to execute.”

Glenmuir will rely heavily on striker Orane Watson, who has scored 33 goals this season, as well as captain Jason White, Conroy Nicely, and Dustin Cohen to lead their charge.

Meanwhile, JC, who are aiming for their third Champions Cup trophy, last won the title in 2022. They are the only unbeaten team left in the schoolboy football competition this season and Head Coach Davion Ferguson expressed confidence in his team’s readiness and focus for this big game.

“I think that my players are excited because at the start of the season, we had some objectives that we set out, and this was one of them,” he said. “To achieve that objective is good, but the job is not yet finished as our aim now is to finish the job on Saturday.

“We are unbeaten, so I don’t think that at this stage, confidence is an issue. These boys would have faced a lot and they have continued to rise above whatever is thrown at them.”

Ferguson acknowledged the quality of Glenmuir’s team but said that there are areas they intend to exploit.

“I think, for me and the boys, it is more about enjoying our hard work with our fans,” he said. “They are a good team, and I have a lot of respect for Coach Peart. They have various ways in which they can create big problems for you, but I think there are some areas in their game which we can actually exploit.

“But it will be a good game because these are two quality teams that will be going up against each other on Saturday in this final.”

JC will place their hopes in the hands of Dylan John, Javaun Mills, Jabari Howell, and Nashordo Gibbs to lead the charge.

FERGUSON…they have various ways in which they can create big problems for you, but I think there are some areas in their game which we can actually exploit (Observer file)