Ben Francis final four confident

THE FINALISTS in the ISSA Ben Francis Cup will be decided today at Glenmuir High School as St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) take on Frome Technical at 1:00 p.m., followed by a Clarendon derby between Denbigh and Clarendon College at 3:00.

All four coaches are exuding confidence ahead of semifinals that represent their final chance at silverware this season.

In the opening game, six-time holders of the Ben Francis Cup take on last year’s beaten finalists. STETHS last won the title in 2015, while Frome were champions in 2003 and 2006.

“It is all about the boys, once they turned up and play Frome football, no one can stop them,” said coach Creighton Stephens, whose team is coming off a 1-0 quarterfinal win over Manchester.

“Against McGrath, when we lost 4-0, we were not 100 per cent, as the team had cards and injury concerns. We are now ready and we are playing against ‘Mr Ben Francis’ and we want to beat them,” said Stephens. Despite beating Frome 3-1 in a daCosta Cup quarterfinal game, STETHS coach, Omar ‘Rambo’ Wedderburn, thinks today provides a different prospect.

“It is the second time we are playing them and it will be a different affair this time, although we beat them previously. This is one match away from the final and it can’t be the same energy. There will be no holding back. We will be ready to play for the full 90 minutes. STETHS’ only concern is to put themselves in the final,” said Wedderburn, whose side weathered the dread of penalties to come away 9-8 winners over Cornwall College in their quaterfinal.

Clarendon College and Denbigh have met twice this season with each winning a game.

In the opening game of the season at the Montego Bay Sports Complex, Clarendon College won 2-1, but Denbigh turned the tables with an identical score at home.

The Garfield Carney-coached Denbigh have already created history with their first semifinal appearance at this level but they have no shortage of ambition if their last outing is anything to go by.

Impressive 3-1 win

Denbigh are coming off an impressive 3-1 win over Munro but Carney isn’t harping on the ease of that encounter.

“I expect a tough matchup and we want to create more history by advancing to the final. We are happy to make it to this stage but the job is not yet finished and the vibe among the guys is great.”

Carney believes that though this is a derby, his team has something akin to a home advantage with the venue just metres away from the school.

“Playing close to home, I expect a big crowd as the fanbase from the school and within the community around May Pen will surely be coming out to support the guys,” said Carney.

The coach will be banking on Lashawn Barnaby, who has scored in every game this season. Barnaby has 20 goals to date.

After failing to get a chance to defend their daCosta Cup and Olivier Shield titles, Clarendon College coach Lenworth Hyde is hoping his team can grab some consolation with a title.

“We expect a good game as we have played Denbigh twice before and they are an outstanding team. This is the only trophy up for grabs for my team and the boys want to win this one,” said Hyde.

According to Hyde, his unit will be a different one from the one that faced Denbigh last time out.

“The lineup for today’s match will be a different one from what we used against them the last time, as we are playing majority of our under-16 players. We are building for the future, but these guys are highly motivated and are a confident bunch,” said Hyde.