DEFENDING CHAMPIONS Arnett Gardens and Tivoli will meet each other in yet another Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) Under-21 title decider today at 2:00 p.m. at the Tony Spaulding Sports Complex.
The last time they clashed was on December 11. Arnett came away with not only victory by a 2-0 margin but also the end-of-first round silverware as the home team failed to reply to goals scored by Craig Gordon and Damion Coleman.
Both teams boast strong line-ups, and with neither team participating in the Premier League final, they are bolstered by the return of their young stars.
Arnett will benefit defensively as sweeper Wayne Ellis and Alex Thomas will marshall their team's defensive third. Apart from those players, Arnett will be banking on the likes of Damion Coleman, Leon Strickland, Marcelino Blackburn, Craig Gordon and the prolific goalscorer Michael Meikle (with eight goals) to create the fireworks.
Meanwhile, Tivoli's Rafiek Thomas is enjoying the season, netting seven times so far. He should play a pivotal role along with Lenworth Hyde Jnr. and Roland Dean, both of whom return from the Premier League, Valentine Gardner and Sheldon Palmer.
This will be the fifth final since the inception of the Under-21 league last year. Arnett made it to all three last year, losing only once - to Tivoli in the mid-season final. Both teams have a rich history of dominating the league, with Arnett getting to all four previously contested finals winning and three times while Tivoli have been to three finals for one victory.
Jerome Waite, who coaches Arnett, said the "team has been working tremendously well and the players are really focussed.
"Preparation is going smooth and we expect the players to just continue what they are do best," he said.
Tivoli's coach, Desmond Francis, said the team's morale was high owing to the "fact that we have reached a final".
Though the West Kingston team lost to Arnett in December, Francis thinks his team can rebound from the home defeat and spoil the fun at Tony Spaulding.
"I don't think it will be difficult to win," Francis said.
The problem then (end-of-first-round final) was we never made use of our chances but we are working on that," he added.
