BY ADRIAN FRATER, News Editor
Godfrey Stewart's Ryan Smith. - ADRIAN FRATER
western bureau
CHAMPIONS AND RED-hot favourites Glenmuir High School and first-time finalist Godfrey Stewart will square off in the final of the 2005 ISSA/Pepsi/Jamaica National daCosta Cup tomorrow afternoon at Jarrett Park, in Montego Bay, starting at 3:00 p.m.
Both teams are yet to taste defeat in the competition and both are resolute in their belief that they will end the season unbeaten. In the lone meeting this season, they battled to a 1-1 quarter-final draw, a result that broke the impressive 17-game winning streak Glenmuir had amassed.
In Tuesday's semi-final games, both teams were made to battle hard for the places in the final. Glenmuir scored a 3-2 extra-time win against Mannings after they had battled to a 2-2 regulation time deadlock.
PENALTY SHOOT-OUT
Godfrey Stewart secured their slot with a 4-2 penalty shoot-out win against Clarendon College after a 1-1 regulation and extra-time stalemate.
"The mood in the camp is quite good," said Glenmuir's coach Jackie Walters, whose team has scored 105 goals in all competitions and conceded five. "We probably underestimated Mannings in our semi-final but the important thing is that we won the game."
While not having as imposing a record as their opponents, Godfrey Stewart's coach Carl Palmer said his team is bubbling with confidence and is supremely confident that they will dethrone Glenmuir and take home the title. "After seeing what the Manning's team was able to do against them, we are even more confident that we can beat them," said coach Palmer, whose team played alongside Manning's in the same preliminary round.
"The players are quite confident and we really believe we are going to take home this title."
Glenmuir's Walters said he was expecting a strong, physical game from the Westmoreland team but said his team would be willing and ready to handle the challenge.
"We are expecting a strong physical game from them, but we are ready for it," said coach Walters, whose team has been fine-tuning their preparation in Montego Bay since yesterday.
NO WORRIES
"While football is a game of glorious uncertainty, we have not seen anything in this Godfrey Stewart team to be worried about."
In terms of composition, the Glenmuir team looks quite solid all-round. Defensively, goalkeeper Heron Brown and the Shauntez Mundle-led defence have been quite solid all season while in midfield and attack, Shaun Francis, Moses Jordon, James Thomas, Travol Smith, Cornelius Henry and the prolific Carnell Learmond, who has scored 39 goals in all competitions this season, have been quite awesome.
For their part, Godfrey Stewart are also quite potent.
Goalkeeper Dennis Taylor has been fairly safe all season and with skipper Dwayne Williams, Ricardo Hanson and Neville Smith offering him quality defensive cover, he should feel reasonably comfortable. Offensively, Donald Hewitt Jr, Davion Thorpe, Garfield Green, Ryan Smith and the deadly Josimar Crooks will do the goal-hunting.
Past winners of the daCosta Cup
1950 - Munro College
1951 - Munro College
1952 - Munro College
1953 - Cornwall College
1954 - No competition (polio epidemic)
1955 - Cornwall College
1956 - Cornwall College
1957 - Munro College
1958 - Cornwall College
1959 - Cornwall College
1960 - Abandoned because of attack on referee
1961 - Munro College
1962 - Munro College
1963 - Cornwall College
1964 - Munro College
1965 - Vere Technical
1966 - No Competition
1967 - Vere Technical
1968 - Vere Technical
1969 - Vere Technical
1970 - Vere Technical
1971 - Vere Technical
1972 - Competition abandoned shooting in Montego Bay
1973 - No competition
1974 - STETHS
1975 - Vere Technical
1976 - Vere Technical
1977 - Clarendon College
1978 - Clarendon College
1979 - Dinthill Technical
1980 - Vere Technical
1981 - Dinthill Technical
1982 - Cornwall College
1983 - Cornwall College
1984 - Rusea's Comprehensive
1985 - Rusea's Comprehensive
1986 - Herbert Morrison
1987 - Rusea's Comprehensive
1988 - Herbert Morrison
1989 - Rusea's Comprehensive
1990 - Rusea's Comprehensive
1991 - Clarendon College
1992 - Rusea's Comprehensive
1993 - Rusea's Comprehensive
1994 - Clarendon College
1995 - Cornwall College
1996 - Clarendon College
1997 - Competition called off death threats to teachers
1998 - Clarendon College
1999 - STETHS
2000 - Cornwall College
2001 - Cornwall College
2002 - Rusea's High
2003 - Frome Technical
2004 - Glenmuir High
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