Harbour View, Arnett clash for title

Ryon Jones, Gleaner Writer

Harbour View and Arnett Gardens are the last two teams left standing from the initial 35 that started out in the Claro/Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) Jackie Bell knockout competition.

They will meet today in the 63rd and final match of this season's contest to decide the winner of the Jackie Bell KO trophy and the champion's purse of $350,000.

The match, which is slated to begin at 6 p.m., will be played at the Edward Seaga Sports Complex.

Harbour View, who are in search of their fifth Jackie Bell KO title, advanced to the final after recording a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Boys' Town in their semi-final meeting.

Focus on attack

The Stars of the East have found goals hard to come by, scoring a mere four in their last six league outings.

Donovan Hayles, head coach of Harbour View, made it clear that the focus will be on attack.

"In a game like this, which is a knockout final, the emphasis is going to be on offence. It is a game that you cannot just defend to come away with a victory, someone has to win the game and the only way you can win the game is by scoring goals," he said.

The teams have met on three previous occasions this season, with honours evenly shared. Arnett took the first encounter 1-0, while the second finished in a nil-all stalemate. Harbour View then registered a 1-0 victory in their most recent meeting.

Arnett advanced to the final after scoring a 1-0 victory over Waterhouse in their semi-finals encounter.

Should enter on a high

The Junglists, who have won the most Jackie Bell KO titles - five in total - should enter the contest on a high after scoring a 2-0 win over Sporting Central Academy in their most recent league outing.

Paul 'Tegat' Davis is not daunted by Harbour View's impressive defensive record as his team seeks to bring glory to their community.

"There is no superior team in the league that cannot be scored against on any given day," Davis expressed. "We are trying to win this one for the community at large, because we haven't won a silverware for the past five to six years."

The team which was beaten in the semi-finals by the eventual winners will be awarded third place and pocket $150,000. The beaten finalist will receive $200,000, while fourth will collect $100,000.