Top teams battle for spot in Bell KO final

Ryon Jones, Gleaner Writer

The Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA)/Claro Jackie Bell knockout competition will take centre stage today as four of the island's top teams hunt a place in the final.

The semi-finals, which will be contested at the Harbour View Mini Stadium, features five-time winners Arnett Gardens up against four-time winners Waterhouse at 4 p.m. In the second semi-final, which is slated for 7 p.m., four-time victors Harbour View will oppose Boys' Town, who have won the title once.

Boys' Town progressed to the semi-finals after registering a 9-2 aggregate win over Santos. Harbour View's path to the semi-finals was not as smooth as they advanced courtesy of the away-goal rule.

The match-up between Harbour View and Boys' Town promises to be a pulsating one, as they are separated by just a point in the Digicel Premier League. Boys' Town currently occupy fourth on 43 points, with Harbour View (42) a point adrift.

worst defeat of the season

The Red Brigade suffered their worst defeat of the season when they last visited Harbour View as they were beaten 5-1. Boys' Town's coach, Andrew Price, has no fears revisiting the Stars of the East home ground.

"At this level of competition, teams can go and perform on grounds that are not their own and perform creditably," Price expressed. "I believe that my team is one such team. We have a pretty good away record, so I believe that if we go to Harbour View and play the sort of football that we are capable of playing, we will be able to leave there with a positive result," he added.

Donovan Hayles, coach of Harbour View, is only too aware of the threat posed by Boys' Town and is therefore not dwelling on past results.

"Each time I am playing Boys' Town I set the bar high as they are a very dangerous team, especially when it comes to knockout competitions," Hayles stated. "They might have lukewarm performances in the league but when it comes to a knockout they are very devastating," he elaborated.

2-0 aggregate win

Arnett advanced to the semi-finals on the back of a 2-0 aggregate win over Greenwich Town, while Waterhouse got by Police National 9-2 over the two legs.

Arnett Gardens are currently 11 points and five places behind their opponents in the Digicel Premier League as Waterhouse occupies third on 43 points. The Junglists can, however, take heart from the fact that the last time the two teams met they came away 3-1 winners.

"This is one of the major competitions for the season and we are not just competing for competing sake, we are competing to win," Waterhouse's coach, Baris Johnson informed. "We would love to finish this season on a note where we get the treble," he added.

Arnett Gardens also have strong title ambitions as their coach, Paul 'Tegat' Davis hunts his first trophy with the club.

"I would love to win the first trophy as a coach here at Arnett Gardens," Davis pointed out. "We just want to go and win this game, as it has been a while since we have got any silverware," he concluded.