Waterford on brink of Cup semi-finals

Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter

WATERFORD will secure a historic berth in the ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel Manning Cup semi-finals with a win or a draw against Camperdown when the teams face each other in the first game of a doubleheader at Stadium East today.

In the second encounter, St. Andrew Technical (STATHS) and Wolmer's, both of whom have already been eliminated from the competition, will look to end their seasons on a high note.

Waterford have staged a total about-turn from their early-season jitters, which saw them narrowly secure a spot in the second round over Tivoli in their final group game.

Inconsistencies

The team, having retained the core of a squad which looked a solid outfit last season, was tipped to do well, but struggled with inconsistency in the first round. However, according to their coach, Floyd Coke, those issues are things of the past.

"Earlier in the season, we struggled with a bit of selfishness from the players; now, they are coming together nicely and we have really gelled as a team," Coke said.

Another factor in the re-emergence of the St. Catherine team as a legitimate contender has been the return to form of one of last season's most prolific scorers, Mark Walters.

The striker, who struggled to find the mark early in the season, has now netted three goals in the past two games and has looked a livewire up front.

Rough road

The road is pretty much at an end for a young Camperdown team, which is yet to win a game in the second round. Today's game will be about pride.

"We ran into some pretty tough teams in the second round. We are a young team, so I am proud of them for trying. Hopefully, we can get a positive result in our final game and try again next year," said Camperdown coach Andrew Williams.

Also yet to win a game in the second round, Wolmer's, who finished runners-up in Group C, and STATHS, who topped Group B, will be keen on taking all three points from today's game.


STANDINGS

P W L D GF GA GD Pts Group One

Bridgeport 2 2 0 0 4 1 3 6
Jamaica College 2 1 0 1 1 0 1 4
Wolmer's Boys 2 0 1 1 1 2 -1 1
St. Andrew Tech 2 0 2 0 0 3 -3 0

Group Two

Waterford 2 2 0 0 3 1 2 6
Excelsior 2 1 1 0 6 1 5 3
Eltham 2 1 1 0 4 3 1 3
Camperdown 2 0 2 0 1 9 -8 0

Group Three

Kingston College 2 2 0 0 4 1 3 6
Norman Manley 2 1 1 0 3 3 0 3
Charlie Smith 2 1 1 0 2 3 -1 3
Calabar 2 0 2 0 2 4 -2 0