Skill and flair will come up against ingenuity and industry when the final of the inaugural David Thompson Memorial Constituency Council Football Classic comes off today at 8 p.m. at Kensington Oval.
The City will be considered favourites based on some very familiar names on their roster. However, St Thomas have sacrificed names and fame and employed the concept of unity and hard work.
The last time these teams met, St Thomas won 2-0 at Bridgefield in a match that was much closer than the scoreline suggests.
St Thomas have gained the admiration of many with their style of play and work ethic. They play the traditional 4-4-2 formation, utilizing the pace of Dario Carter who can operate on either side of the pitch and give quality crosses with both feet.
Carter will need to have his thinking cap on when he faces wing-backs Philip King and the more aggressive Ronald Wickham who missed the semi-final because of suspension.
City centre-backs Mitchum President and Jabar Jaunai should expect a busy evening trying to contain Shaquille Stewart, St Thomas’ main goal scorer.
The livewire striker’s finishing has been sublime and he can be a handful for the City defence if his midfield continues to supply him with the usual reliable service.
Collymore brothers Jason and Damian present a formidable midfield force for St Thomas, as they are solid ball winners and can pick a pass from distance.
A tough midfield battle can be expected as they come up against City skipper Jeffrey Williams and former youth national player Renaldo Seale.
Even though they have conceded few goals, St Thomas’ defence has some cracks which can be exploited by City’s quality attack which is built on the pace of Dwayne Mars, Rohan Hewitt, Richardson Rouse and Carl Joseph.
Centre-back Lindelle Sandiford will need to get his troops up to scratch.
It would be interesting to see who will start in goal for City as first-choice custodian Andre Small was substituted in the semi-finals after suffering what seemed to be an injury to his back.
Don Ifill replaced him in goal and seemed quite comfortable.
The City are expected to attract many spectators since they are playing at “home”. They will be counting on that important “12th man” to help them gain that sweet revenge and create history as initial winners of the competition.
However, St Thomas will not be intimidated, as they travel with a large band of supporters. I expect them to display a high-quality brand of football.
Kensington Oval can expect a bumper crowd as this final is expected to go down to the wire.
In the third-place play-off, scheduled for 6 p.m., St Michael North-West will battle St Joseph who would consider themselves unlucky not to have made it to the grand finale as they went out via the penalty shoot-out route.