It could be champagne time tonight for Meridian Youth Milan!
Should the Checker Hall, St Lucy-based side defeat second-place challengers Brittons Hill in their 8 p.m. top-of-the-table feature match at the National Stadium, the 2011 Digicel Premier League football title will be theirs.
Milan’s only Premiership title was in 2006 and even though they slipped up a bit when Sportingbet Pinelands earned a 1-1 draw with an injury time equalizer last Thursday, the Randolph Cox-coached side is still poised to capture the crown, maybe with a match or two to spare.
A victory will carry Milan to an unsurpassable 37 points but a draw or even a loss will keep interest alive in the championship.
Brittons Hill are smarting from Thursday’s heavy 4-1 defeat to defending champions Claytons Kola Tonic Notre Dame who are making a late run, moving into third position on 26 points, two behind Brittons Hill.
In the event that the match is drawn, Milan will go to 35 points and should the Dames beat Pride of Gall Hill in the preceding match at 6 p.m., it would mean that both the Bayland side and Brittons Hill can finish the season with a maximum 35 points.
A win for Brittons Hill, who surprisingly kept striker Ricky Barnes on the bench against the Dames, will leave them three points adrift of Milan with two matches left.
Milan have two tricky matches left against Bagatelle who defeated them in the first round and Notre Dame, and will want to wrap up the title tonight.
Experienced striker Kenroy Skinner, after going through a goal drought, rediscovered his goal-scoring skills with a superb strike against Pinelands and the Milan fans will be looking for him to deliver again.
Their inspirational playmaker Norman Forde, substitute Ramon Greaves and Romel Corbin all muffed chances and will need to be more clinical in goalscoring positions, as well as Jamar Watson, while Dwayne “Boot” Griffith continues to impress.
Brittons Hill’s defence, marshalled by the ageing legs of Gregory “Lalu” Goodridge, was cruelly exposed by fleet-footed young Dames strikers DeCarlo Jemmott and Diquan Adamson as well as the overlapping runs of seasoned Bryan Neblett and Carl Joseph.
Their woes were also compounded by the ejection of right-wing back Curtis Blackman and Brittons Hill would be hoping that national defender Omar Archer is fit enough to suit up.
In the opening match at 4 p.m., Bagatelle, who are not quite out of the danger zone in the battle to avoid relegation, face fourth-place ICE Wales.
Then the Dames, with Rommell Brathwaite holding their defence together, will face a Gall Hill side which will welcome back roving midfielder Curtis Odle but will have to do without striker Ryan “Shaky” Griffith, midfielder Rico “Sas” Baptiste and defender Andre Daniel.
Griffith, Baptiste and Daniel were all sent off in a temperamental Premiership match against the Dames last Tuesday.
