Familiar foes! - Portmore, ­Waterhouse battle in second straight RSPL final tonight

Fans of local football will have a lot of questions answered this evening when the 2018-2019 Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) season comes to an end with the final in the second game of a double-header at 8:35 p.m. at the National Stadium. Mount Pleasant FC and Cavalier with meet to decide third place at 5:30 p.m..

Among the questions to be answered are whether defending ­champions Portmore United can repeat and send off coach Shavar Thomas with two victories in two years and whether last year’s losing finalists, Waterhouse FC, can go one better by winning this year. Neither team has managed to get the better of the other in 90 minutes in their last four meetings, including last season’s final, which was decided on penalties.

Their subsequent meetings have ended 2-2, 1-1 and 0-0. They will be separated this evening.

“Obviously, it is a situation where we have some amount of consistency going to get back to this place second year running, and if you are looking at our opponents, they have a drive and energy and consistency to get back to the same place as well,” Thomas explained of his team’s position in the final.

“We have set ourselves the objective of staying on top and dominating the local league. We also want to be in the CONCACAF Champions League. These are some of the things that have driven us, as well as the fact that the players are hungry as well.”

For Waterhouse coach Marcel Gayle, a product of the community of Waterhouse who returned to the club at the start of the season following his head coaching apprenticeship at UWI FC, it is about delivering a trophy to the loyal supporters.

“We want to do it for the community, the fans, the chairman and all the stakeholders. We owe it to them,” declared Gayle, who will be heading into his first RSPL final as head coach.

While acknowledging that this is his biggest moment as a head coach, Gayle said that the kind of pressure this brings is par for the course and that he is prepared.

“You may speak of pressure, but football is pressure,” he said. “It is no more than the pressure I put on myself. I try to perfect things, and that can be pressure, but we have been preparing ourselves as a team for occasions like these.”

Gayle, who is also the assistant coach to Neville ‘Bertis’ Bell at St George’s College, says his time working with him has been good.

“Being around people like Neville ‘Bertis’ Bell and seeing how he handles big moments has helped me a great deal and helped in my preparation for moments like these,” Gayle disclosed.

The consensus among local football followers is that Portmore United are the favourites, but Thomas was reluctant to embrace the tag.

“I did not know that we were the favourites,” he said. “We are looking at this as a tough game and us facing quality opponents.

“If people see us as favourites, it is because of the hard work that we have put in and the success, as a result, that we have had. We will be going there to do our best, and under no circumstances we will underestimate our opponents. Of course, we want to be the first team to win back-to-back titles in 20 years,” Thomas declared, betraying his handle on the League’s statistics.

To make Thomas’ wish a reality, their leading scorer, Javon East, who has an excellent chance of claiming the Golden Boot, and captain Ricardo Morris will have to lead the charge. Goalkeeper Shaven-Sean Paul has been in excellent form since regaining his starting spot and will have a major role to play.

For Waterhouse, Tremaine Stewart, who, like East, has chance of claiming the Golden Boot, has been like a man possessed this season. He will need to be at his best tonight. Defender Shawn Lawes has been good this season and will need to be at his best as well. They will also need the experience of Keammar Daley and Nicholay Finlayson.