JC not fazed by suspended Lynch

JAMAICA COLLEGE (JC) head coach Davion Ferguson said despite the loss of their ever-reliable goalkeeper Tawayne Lynch for today’s semifinal against Hydel High in the ISSA Champions Cup, he is confident his players can secure passage to the final of the schoolboy knockout competition.

JC will take on Hydel in the second match of a doubleheader at 7:30 p.m. as Glenmuir will face Ocho Rios in the evening’s first encounter at 5:00.

The boys from Old Hope Road will have to contest the tie without Lynch, who has been handed a three-game suspension by ISSA, following their 2-0 win against McGrath in the Champions Cup quarterfinal on Saturday.

Lynch was shown a red card by referee Christopher Mason early in the encounter, forcing JC to complete the tie a player down.

“He is suspended. That is what ISSA says, so I think they can confirm that but that is what we’ve heard from them,” Ferguson admitted.

“For us, it is always a case we’re faced with situations like this. It is not a surprise what happened but we’re a resolute bunch. These youngsters are mentality monsters and that is also what I call the supporting team at Jamaica College.”

Ferguson said he is not worried about his team’s chances as his main concern regarding the suspension is Lynch being denied an opportunity to play in a crucial part of the season.

“This will not break us. It is sad when we miss a youngster because for us, it is more than just a football game. Here at a Jamaica College, we are giving chances to youngsters who want to move on to professional opportunities, to colleges and universities overseas on scholarships.

“This is a blatant block on this youngster and that is the concern that we have,” he affirmed.

Hydel will be hoping they can ruin the ‘true blue’ parade and hand JC their first defeat this season.

The Devon Anderson-led squad showed their perseverance last time out in a hard-fought 3-2 win against Garvey Maceo.

Champions Cup defending champions Glenmuir will be hoping to continue their title defence with a clash against familiar opponents, Ocho Rios.

The schools met earlier this season in the daCosta Cup round of 16 where Glenmuir had waltzed past them in a comfortable 3-0 victory.

Andrew Peart, head coach of Glenmuir, said their last meeting will have no reflection on today’s game and will not be complacent when guiding his team towards a potential final spot.

“That result doesn’t really matter. It’s going to be a new game against a good team,” he explained.

“We have to come prepared to play the game. The only thing the previous game would have helped us with is highlighting some of the things that makes them good.”

Ocho Rios will be hoping to continue their fairytale run this season with a crucial win against the boys in red.

The team made history as they won their first-ever Champions Cup game after clipping St Catherine 2-0 through a Keanu-Reid double but now face a tough task against Glenmuir.

Today’s matches

Ocho Rios vs Glenmuir at National Stadium (4:00 p.m.)

Hydel vs JC at National Stadium (6:15 p.m.)