JAMAICA College (JC) will face St Catherine at 3:30 pm while Kingston College (KC) will clash with last year’s finalists, Hydel, at 6:00 pm in the semi-finals of the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup at the National Stadium this afternoon.

The Davion Ferguson-coached JC enter today’s match after their 3-1 defeat to Glenmuir in the Champions Cup final on Saturday, their first loss of the season. Despite that setback JC remains confident as they bring an unbeaten record in the Manning Cup competition into today’s game.

When both teams met in the quarter-finals this season the game ended in a 1-1 draw. JC’s Assistant Coach Raymond Watson anticipates a tough encounter but is optimistic his team will be victorious.

“The game is going to be tough because we have played St Catherine before in the preseason and in the quarter-finals, and both games ended in draws,” he said. “It shows there is not much difference between both teams, but there has to be a result in this game.

“Based on what St Catherine has been doing I think they are the favourites coming into the Manning Cup, and I still hold them as the favourites.”

Watson acknowledged the short recovery time since the game against Glenmuir but expressed confidence in his team’s ability to perform well.

“We are definitely trying to be ready for this game,” he said. “The key is how well the boys respond after going through one hour of play — nobody knows — but we just have to prepare them and hope for the best.”

JC will rely on Dylan John, Javaun Mills, Jabari Howell, and Nashordo Gibbs to lead their charge to victory.

St Catherine, coached by Anthony Patrick, is making their second semi-final appearance, their first since 2005. Patrick, a seasoned coach who won the Manning Cup twice with Bridgeport in 2001 and 2006, believes his team is ready to rise to the challenge.

“We have remained confident and focused because we’ve gotten our players to believe in themselves, so I am expecting a good performance from them on Tuesday in this semi-final,” Patrick said.

“We have played against JC twice this season — once in the preseason and the other in the quarter-finals — and both ended in stalemates, but this is a semi-final and somebody has to win. I think we are well-equipped. We know it is going to be a tough game but we are confident of achieving victory.”

St Catherine’s hopes will rest on leading goalscorer Dwight Gentles, who has netted 12 goals this season, along with Captain Romaine Walters, Tevin Gray, and Kadean Young.

KC head into the other game confident from finishing second in Group A of the quarter-finals, with two wins and one defeat in three matches. Their loss came against JC in a 3-0 defeat. Hydel topped Group B in the quarter-finals with five points, recording one win and two draws in their three matches.