Excelsior, Camperdown to battle for semi spot

Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter

GROUP ONE leaders, Excelsior High and Camperdown High, will battle it out for a place in the semi-finals of the ISSA/Pepsi/JN Manning Cup when they come face to face in a critical match-up at 3:00 p.m. today at the National Stadium east field.

At the same time, Bridgeport will look to keep their remote aspirations of booking themselves a spot in the final four alive when they take on Jonathan Grant simultaneously at the Spanish Town Prison Oval.

After clutching a win and a draw in their first two encounters, Camperdown, who surrendered an early advantage to eventually draw 3-3 with Bridgeport before getting by Jonathan Grant 2-1, and Excelsior, who turned back Jonathan Grant by an identical scoreline before a 2-2 draw with Bridgeport, find themselves locked on four points.

More talented team

Camperdown are, on paper, the more talented team and should be bolstered by the return of their suspended captain, John Ross Edwards. Edwards partnering with the tricky Joel Williams in the midfield and the powerful Michael Johnson up front, should prove a dangerous combination.

However, they are expected to be hard pressed by a more disciplined Excelsior team and the pair of Alanzo Aldam and Akeem Nelson should prove to be a menacing combination for the Camperdown backline to handle.

A win for either team in today's encounter would see them through to the semi-finals of the event but a draw would not be entirely out of the question considering the fact that the teams are evenly matched. A tied result would see both sides on five points and potentially bring Bridgeport back into the equation, provided they secure a victory against Jonathan Grant which would also see them move to five points.

TODAY'S GAMES

Excelsior vs Camperdown at Stadium East - 3:00 p.m.

Bridgeport vs Jonathan Grant at Spanish Town Prison Oval - 3:00 p.m.