D’Cup semi-final spots on the line
MANDEVILLE, Manchester — The first two semi-finalists in the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) daCosta Cup football competition will be decided today as the quarter-final games in two groups will come to an end with the other two to be decided tomorrow.
Former champions Dinthill Technical and contenders Edwin Allen High, who are tied on six points each after winning their first two games, will clash in a big Group 1 quarter-final game this afternoon at Manchester High.
Meanwhile, Group 2 leaders Manning’s School just need to avoid losing to Munro College at the St Elizabeth Technical Sports Complex to claim their first spot in the top four in decades.
While the winners of the four quarter-final groups will qualify for the daCosta Cup semi-finals and a place in the first round of the ISSA Champions Cup, there will be competition for places in the Ben Francis KO as well as teams finishing second and third in each of the four groups will have a chance at winning silverware as well.
William Knibb and Christiana High will meet at Drax Hall, both seeking their first point of the round, same as Vere Technical and Happy Grove High who will meet in the first game at STETHS, starting at 1:00 pm.
Meanwhile, goal-difference separates Dinthill Technical and Edwin Allen in the game that at least on paper looks to be the feature of the day with a lot riding on the result.
A draw would favour Dinthill Technical, who have scored seven goals to Edwin Allen’s six, but none of the teams will be thinking about a draw.
Neither team has conceded a goal in their first two quarter-final games, Dinthill Technical extending their season-long run to eight games and today’s game could go down to the wire.
Manning’s School have built up momentum and will go into today’s game on the back of five straight wins and will face Munro College who havewon just once in their last four games.
Munro College’s latest win came on Tuesday when they edged Vere Technical 4-3, but face a confident Manning’s School aggregation today.
Mannings have scored nine goals in their last two games, spanking Happy Grove 6-0 after they led Vere Technical 3-0 but had to scramble for a 3-2 win in their first game in the quarter-finals.
The Everton Tomlinson-coached Manning’s will start favourites, but Munro College have beaten the likes of St Elizabeth Technical as well as BB Coke who had scored 20 against hapless Mt Saint Joseph High School.
Meanwhile, both William Knibb Memorial and Christiana High who combined for almost 40 goals in the first round, are still waiting for their first goal in the quarter-final.
Vere Technical have been unlucky not to have at least a point, as they rallied against Manning’s School and were tied with Munro College late in their game and will hope for better luck against Happy Grove who have managed a single goal in their two games played.
— Paul Reid