Jamaica College (JC), fresh from their Walker Cup triumph, will meet Calabar High in the opening match of today's double-header, as the ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel urban area Manning Cup schoolboy football competition resumes with second round matches, at the Constant Spring Complex, starting at 1p.m.

Defending champions St George's College will oppose Wolmer's in the day's feature match, at 3p.m.

JC, who earned their first hold on the Walker Cup last Friday when they defeated St George's College's in the final, are hoping to add the Manning Cup to their trophy case.

Ian Forbes, manager-coach of JC, which won the Manning Cup in 2007, said they are looking to begin on a positive note.

"We will be taking this match very seriously because it's now down to the top teams in the competition and we are not going to take them lightly," said Forbes, who noted that his players are still very tired from the gruelling Walker Cup schedule, in which they had to play three matches in five days.

Well prepared

"They are well prepared for this stage of the competition, but they are still extremely tired and I am hoping that they can still put on a good showing for us," Forbes said.

The Dark Blues will be depending heavily on the likes of their inspirational midfielder Ashani Walker, Andre Sterling, Nicholas Scott and Andre Messam, who all played a pivotal role in their Walker Cup victory.

Meanwhile Alrick Clarke, coach of Calabar, said they will have to deliver a strong performance to make their chances stronger.

"Here is where it matters most because this is the quarter-finals and everybody wants to win and so we will have to put our best foot forward to get all three points."

Clarke added: "I know that JC have similar thoughts but we just have to go out there and work hard for the 90 minutes and hopefully we can come away with all three points."

Calabar, who last won the Manning Cup in 2005, will rest their hopes in the hands of strikers Richard Edite and Kavasi Bloomfield, along with midfielders Dane Ewers and Kyle Scott.

Meanwhile, the second encounter between St George's and Wolmer's is expected to be a mouth-watering contest, as both teams are evenly matched in all departments.

Neville 'Bertis' Bell, coach of St George's, said they will be going all out for victory.

"We have to go after the ManningCup because we're disappointed that we lost out on the Walker Cup and this is the only title we have left to win," said Bell, shortly after his team was beaten by JC in the Walker Cup final on Friday.

Michael Francis, the coach of Wolmer's, says he is expecting an exciting match from their opponents.

"This is a very crucial match for us but I am expecting both teams to come and play some good, attractive football, and may the best team win," said Francis.

"We have to make sure that we pass the ball around and put away our chances whenever they arrive," Francis added.