Eltham, Hydel clash to avoid group of death

WHEN ELTHAM High School and Hydel High School meet in today’s ISSA Manning Cup top-of-the-table clash, both will be aware that it is more than group honours on the line as the Zone A winner will avoid the second round’s group of death.

With Eltham and Hydel having already secured their spots in the second round, their fixture today will be to decide the final group placements and confirm their second-round fate.

The Zone A winner will be drawn in Group Two of the second round and join Tivoli Gardens High and Excelsior High.

However, the Zone A runner-up will join Kingston College (KC), St Andrew Technical High (STATHS), and Wolmer’s Boys’ in Group Three of the second round.

With only two teams set to advance from the second round, Group Three is shaping up to become a group of death for any would-be title contenders.

Eltham enters the fixture atop the zone with a maximum 21 points from their seven games this season.

They also boast the best defensive record in the schoolboy competition having yet to concede a goal while scoring 32 goals in the process.

They will be confident of their chances ahead of today’s matchup, having already stymied Hydel 2-0 in the reverse fixture earlier in the round.

The loss is the only blemish on Hydel’s otherwise impervious record as they sit in second with 18 points, still within touching distance of Eltham High.

A win by two clear goals for Hydel would see them pull level on 21 points but go atop the zone with a superior goal difference.

They enter the fixture on a three-game win streak from which they scored 15 unanswered goals, which included an 8-0 drubbing of Ardenne High.

Last year’s beaten finalists, Hydel, will be hoping a win today could be the first stepping stone in declaring their intent of returning to the finals of the Manning Cup.

Also in action, Jonathan Grant High will hope to close the gap on Charlie Smith High in their bid for the remaining automatic qualifying spot in Zone B.

Jonathan Grant, third on 15 points, travel to Waterford, knowing a win today would pull them level with Charlie Smith, who sit second on 18.

The match is their penultimate fixture in the first round and leaves them with the more favourable odds of automatic qualification as Charlie Smith have already completed their fixtures for the first round.

All matches are set to kick off at 3 p.m.

Today’s matches

Hydel vs Eltham at Homestead Community Centre

Waterford vs Jonathan Grant at Waterford High

Bridgeport vs Excelsior at Royal Lakes