KWESI MUGISA, Staff Reporter
JAMAICA COLLEGE (JC) will tackle Wolmer's while St. Andrew Technical (STATHS) challenge Waterford as second round play in the ISSA/Pepsi/JN Manning Cup kicks off today with play in Group 2, scheduled to kick off 1:00p.m. today at the Constant Spring Complex.
The competition took a break for the completion of the Walker Cup KO competition.
Wolmer's and Jamaica College will look to return to winning ways when they square off at 3:00 p.m. Following their first taste of defeat this season in the Walker Cup, a win for any of these teams will go a long way to restoring confidence for the Group F and A respective winners.
More importantly the match-up could already be crucial in deciding who advances from Group 1.
Wolmer's and JC, based on their performances in round one of the competition, have to be considered group favourites and with only one team sure to advance the importance of getting off to a good start cannot be understated. But it will also be a battle to regain recognition as legitimate title contender's, especially for Wolmer's who suffered a crushing 4-1 loss at the hands of Calabar.
Wolmer's coach Vassell Reynolds, while admitting that his team's confidence may have been shaken by the loss, expects them to rebound.
"We are a young team and we were a little let down morally by the loss. But now we will regroup for the second round and the best of Wolmer's is yet to come," he said.
Despite a few niggling injuries, JC coach Alfred Henry believes his team will still do well.
"We have a couple of injuries headed into the game, but if those guys are unable to go we will find suitable replacements," he said.
However, while believing his team has a good a chance of advancing from the round, Henry insists it is still a developmental process and is looking more to prepare his young team for the future.
Although finishing second in their group to Norman Manley, the STATHS team is one to watch and should be favourites in the first encounter. Their very imposing physical presence will be a cause of concern for many teams and Waterford and the other Group I teams must be wary of this.
In fact, STATHS fought their way to an 8-7 loss on penalties to the highly fancied Calabar, demonstrating that they certainly have the ability to play the role of spoilers in the group.
A meeting of the ISSA tribunal yesterday evening was expected to decide the outcome of the second place team in Group A. That result will decide whether the fixture between Excelsior and Kingston Technical is to be replayed. If the fixture has to be replayed a win for defending champions Excelsior could see them advance over current second place team Mona.
Second round groupings:
Group 1 - Wolmer's, Jamaica College, STATHS and Waterford.
Group 2 - Calabar, Eltham, A2 and St. Catherine.
Group 3 - Tivoli Gardens, Bridgeport, Norman Manley and Charlie Smith.
Today's games
STATHS vs Waterford 1:00 pm
Jamaica College vs Wolmer's 3:00 pm
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