A League showdown

WESTERN BUREAU-

Paul A. Reid, Staff Reporter

DESPITE playing at home this afternoon, Seba United and Mount Salem will start as underdogs in the first leg of the National A-League semi-finals today at Jarrett Park, starting at 5:00 p.m.

Mount Salem will host Bull Bay in the first game, while Seba United and Mid-Season champions Rivoli will renew rivalry in the second game. The second leg is set for next Thursday.

With a place in the National Premier League next season at stake, the semi-finals are expected to be keenly contested between evenly matched teams.

Bull Bay, who topped the points table at the end of the regular season, and Rivoli, are in great form, however, and should be given the edge.

Word out of the Montego Bay teams' camp, however, are that to overlook them might be a crucial mistake.

The Dr. Dean Weatherly coached Seba United is hoping to return to the big league after a year rebuilding in the 'A' League.

Bull Bay is hoping to win their third straight promotion, coming from the Kingston and St Andrew FA's Syd Bartlett League to the Major League then to the 'A' league last year.

Rivoli's coach, Harold Thomas, was not content to win just the Mid-Season title in January and is hoping their form will continue through the semi-finals.

Mount Salem, who campaigned as Violet Kickers last season, will be hoping to qualify for the Premier league on their first attempt.

They will be without former national goalkeeper, Warren Barrett, who is out with a foot injury. He will also miss the return leg semi-final. He was injured three weeks ago and the young, but impressive Garfield Johnson will be between the sticks.

Also, Mount Salem is the only team to beat Bull Bay this season, in the very first game of the season but they were beaten in the return leg at Jarrett Park. Their assistant coach, Hopeton Gilchrist, said the key to getting the better of Bull Bay was shutting down their midfield, including playmaker Milton Griffiths, and taking advantage of their scoring opportunities.

Finishing the regular season in first place and having the longest winning streak in the island amounts to nothing at this stage, said Bull Bay's player-coach Barrington Gaynor.

The former national wing-back told The Sunday Gleaner that none of those accomplishments will mean anything come this afternoon as "everything starts all over again from zero-zero."

Gaynor is well aware of the ability of both Davis and Henry and named them along with Socrates Christie as the players to watch for Mount Salem.

Seba's Dr. Weatherly thought his team was unlucky the last time they met Rivoli - in the Mid-Season final - and thinks his team can do the trick this time around.

After drawing the first game against Rivoli, a goal in the 83rd minute of the last game separated the teams.

Today, Weatherly said he is hoping the team would repeat the same form they showed a few weeks ago in beating Premier League champions Arnett Gardens in the Federation Cup KO at the same venue.

Daniel Rickets, Norman Foster and the wily winger Dane Richards will be crucial for Seba as they try to get past goalkeeper Allien Whittaker, on loan from Hazard for the remainder of the season.

It will be the Seba defence that will hold the key, however, against the most potent attack in the league.

Rivoli's coach Thomas was not satisfied with his team's win in the Mid-Season finals and said then that his team's aim was to qualify for the National Premier League.

In addition to Patrick Beech, Rivoli is expected to have Shawn Simpson, Ray Graham and Kingsley Wellington in their team.

TODAY'S GAMES