KC, St Catherine hunt glory - Manning Cup final a clash of the parishes

When the ISSA Manning Cup final gets under way today at the National Stadium, it will be a fierce clash between Kingston and St Catherine as Kingston College (KC) and St Catherine High will challenge for the prestigious schoolboy football title.

The match is set to kick off at 6:15 p.m. and will be the second of a doubleheader at the National Stadium.

WALKER CUP

Mona High and Excelsior High will open the proceedings at 3 p.m. as they will contest the final of the ISSA Walker Cup knockout competition.

St Catherine are on the brink of history as the first-time finalists could add to their growing repertoire with their first hold on the Manning Cup title.

Standing in their way, however are many-time winners and schoolboy football giants KC, who will be looking for their 17th crown, to kick-start their school's 100th year anniversary celebrations.

St Catherine booked their spot in the final having dismissed Jamaica College (JC) 5-3 on penalties after playing out a 1-1 draw, while KC got the better of Hydel 2-0 in their semi-final encounter.

For Anthony Patrick, head coach of St Catherine High, a win would be especially important as he stands as the only coach to have led a St Catherine-based school to the Manning Cup title, doing it twice with Bridgeport High in 2001 and 2006.

Patrick said he is aiming on adding a third crown to his CV with a win this time around with the team from St John's Road.

"I think it would be nicer to win this for the school itself that's named after the parish and that is very close and important for me," he affirmed.

Patrick stated this core of players are the result of years of development work as they have been playing together for four years in the Manning Cup.

He is confident they will be up to the task to take on the famed Purples from North Street.

"This was something in the making. This is the third season - and fourth season for a few of them also. It's about eight to nine of these players have played the last three years together," he explained.

Leading the way for St Catherine will be captain Romaine Walters, their stalwart defender this season, who cropped up with an important goal against JC in the semi-final.

His opposite number Vassell Reynolds will be hoping to wipe away his team's ISSA Champions Cup disappointment and end their season with a title under their belt.

KC's last hold on the Manning Cup came in 2021.

For Reynolds, his biggest concern coming into today's fixture is the amount of time his time had to recover from the semi-final that was played on Tuesday.

"It's very tough on the boys but we just have to recuperate quickly and be ready because it's a big thing come Friday," he said.

"It will be more of a mental preparation I think. We will do some walk-throughs and we'll prepare by assessing our opponents. We'll largely be depending on our abilities but we'll have to take on what the opponents bring to the table."

Abilities' is something KC has been spoilt with this season as they have a plethora of attacking options to choose from. Matrim Martin, who bagged a brace against Hydel in their last outing, will be a key player to watch throughout the contest.

He will also be supported by Deshawn Byfield who has been making waves this season and a fan favourite along North Street.