Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter

DEFENDING CHAMPIONS Cala-bar will look to shake off the disappointment of an early season loss to Jamaica College when they face fourth-placed Oberlin in Group E of the ISSA/Pepsi/JN Manning Cup at Oberlin High today.

Off to an impressive start with wins over St. George's and José Marti, the green-and-black clad men of 'Rabalac' hit a hurdle when they went down 1-0 to Jamaica College at Old Hope Road. But if history is to repeat itself, and Calabar will certainly be hoping that it will, the Cup holders will not be hitting the panic button just yet.

Last season it was after a 1-0 early loss away to Dunoon that the team went on to not only win the Manning Cup but dominate schoolboy football. In fact, the football gods would have to go crazy for a motivated Calabar to fail to snatch all three points from this encounter.

Different prospect

While Oberlin will be encouraged by their recent win over bottom-placed Cumberland, today they face an entirely different prospect in a team that has scored 14 goals, conceding one against their record of five goals for while having conceded 18.

Calabar are now on six points in second place, three behind group leader's Jamaica College and three ahead of third-placed St. George's and Oberlin.

In the group's other games, St. George's will look for a win and plenty of goals when they host Cumberland at Winchester Park. In Group C, second from the bottom Kingston Technical will take on bottom-placed St. Catherine while fourth-placed Penwood host third-placed Jonathan Grant.

In Group A, STATHS will host Tarrant, while second-placed Excelsior travel to Dunoon Technical.