Harbour View, Tivoli Gardens (TG) set for KO showdown

André Lowe, Senior Staff Reporter

Top-flight heavyweights Harbour View and Tivoli Gardens are set to meet yet again, this time in the island's top knockout football competition, as the rival clubs were pitted against each other during the Flow Champions Cup Round Two draw, held yesterday at the offices of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF).

Round Two, which features eight matches, will be contested over two days, March 23 and 24, and will see each winner progressing to the quarter-final stage of the tournament, scheduled for April 6 and 7.

Boys' Town-Humble Lions (Collie Smith Drive), Waterhouse-St Georges Sports Club (Waterhouse Mini Stadium) on March 23, and Sporting Central Academy-Portmore United (Brancourt) a day later, are the other all-Premier League match-ups on the card, which also sees Santos facing Benfica in another game of keen interest.

Nemesis

Having this year faced each other at the semi-final stage of the Jackie Bell knockout competition for the fourth consecutive year, Harbour View's head coach, Donovan Hayles, is beginning to wonder if he will ever go through a knockout campaign without facing his nemesis.

"Just last night (Tuesday night) I was saying to someone that we can't seem to go through a knockout campaign without facing Tivoli," Hayles joked.

Harbour View have already updated their trophy cabinet this season with the Claro-sponsored Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) Champions Cup and Jackie Bell knockout titles and are desperate to get their hands on a crown they have not won since 2002.

Hayles is, of course, expecting a tough contest, but is nonetheless confident that his team can overturn their cross-town rivals.

'Tough game'

"It's definitely a tough game, it's always a tough game against Tivoli Gardens, but we are prepared to go all the way and I am positive that the team can come out on top," said Hayles.

Alvin Shaw, assistant coach of Tivoli Gardens, was not at the club last season when they crashed out at this very stage of the competition at the hands of Arnett Gardens, but he is hoping to steer the team a bit further this time around.

"The team is performing well, everyone is clicking, so to speak, and the entire squad is playing at peak so I'm expecting us to do very well right throughout this competition," said Shaw, whose team has been to two Champions Cup finals in the last three years.

In other Round Two matches, Arnett Gardens will host Downs at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex, while Monymusk will welcome Frazer's Whip at the Monymusk Sports Complex, both scheduled for March 23.

A day later, Sandals will host Montpelier, while the other Premier League team, Benfica, will welcome giant-killing Santos, who got the better of Reno in the first round.

'It's always a tough game against Tivoli Gardens, but we are prepared to go all the way.'