Manchester eye Inter-Zone spot

Western Bureau

Action in the 2017 ISSA/FLOW daCosta Cup competition resumes this afternoon with 29 matches across 10 zones with Manchester High looking to become the first team to qualify for the Inter-Zone round.

A win against Belair High this afternoon will give them a seventh straight win in the competition and guarantee them top spot in Zone F.

Coach Andrew Edwards is expecting his boys to continue pulling in the three points, especially after winning the last encounter against Belair High 2-1, while playing on the road. They are expecting to register a more comfortable result in front of their home supporters this time around.

"We expect to win our group and that would be us meeting expectations if we manage to win tomorrow (today)," said Edwards, the former head coach of the national under-17 football team.

Edwards underlined that while he is confident that his team will secure victory in today's contest, he was quick to point out to The Gleaner that they will not be taking their opponents lightly especially considering that they are the only team that has so far scored against them.

"We expect to do that (win), however, this is football; it is sports, and they are the only team to have scored against us so, we cannot take them lightly, so we have to make sure our performance is spot on," Edwards said.

Edwards also made it clear he is not just focused on getting through as zone leaders, but has his eye set on securing a high seeding that would see them facing a weaker team in the second round of the competition.

"We want to be seeded as highly as possibly can, so it's not a case of us qualifying for the second round and not being interested in the other games; we need the victories to ensure we get most seeding points," said Edwards.

Other teams going for their seventh straight win will be Zone K leaders Dinthill Technical, who will host Ewarton High on their school grounds and Zone O leaders Seaforth High, who will battle St Thomas Technical at the Eastern Banana Sports Complex.

St James and defending champions Cornwall College will play Maldon and Irwin, respectively as they look to take control of Zone A, with Anchovy and Green Pond facing off in the other game in the zone.

Zone A

- St James vs Maldon

- Cornwall vs Irwin

- Anchovy vs Green Pond

Zone C

- Spot Valley vs Holland

- William Knibb vs Muschett

- Herbert Morrison vs Cedric Titus

Zone D

- Grange Hill vs Godfrey Stewart

- Manning's vs Petersfield

- Black River vs Little London

Zone F

- Mile Gully vs May Day

- Cross Keys vs DeCarteret

Zone G

- Christiana vs Holmwood

- Alston vs Spalding

- Knox vs Troy

Zone H

- Edwin Allen vs Claude McKay

- Clarendon College vs Thompson Town

Zone J

- Oracabessa vs Iona

- St Mary High vs Carron Hall

- Brimmervale vs St. Mary Tech.

Zone K

- Bog Walk vs McGrath

- Guys Hill vs Charlemont

Zone M

- Porus vs Denbigh

- Bellefield vs Winston Jones

- Foga Road vs Glenmuir

Zone N

- Old Harbour s Garvey Maceo

- Vere Tech vs Kemps Hill

- Central vs Bustamante

Zone O

- Paul Bogle vs Robert Lightbourne

- Yallahs vs Morant Bay