Daraine Luton, Freelance WriterWHOEVER emerges victorious after this Boxing Day's first end of round final of the Wray and Nephew National Premier League between Harbour View and Waterhouse at the National Stadium will have more reasons to be jubilant.
For one, the champions will be $150,000 richer, as opposed to $75,000 that will be paid out to the loser. Also, three bonus points are at stake, and to complement the package, the champs will have the pleasure of adding another piece of silverware to their trophy cases.
Harbour View's coach, Donovan Hayles, said: "Being a cup winner brings prestige.
GREAT ACHIEVEMENT
"Putting aside the money and the points, which are also great rewards, all teams at the start of the season have the aim of winning cups and for us to come this far is really a great achievement. We just hope to better this by winning on Sunday," Hayles said last week.
Peter Cargill, coach of Waterhouse, attaches similar sentiments to the first of the three trophies vied for in the NPL.
"It will be a very difficult game. We certainly want to become champions. Right now we are prepared as best as we can be for the game, and seeing that the second round starts on January 9, doing well here will mean that we have completed a part of our objective on our way to becoming champions," Cargill said.
Despite the fact that only two points separate the teams, Harbour View (26) should start as favourites over Waterhouse (24) but Hayles pointed out that success for either team will be no easy road. As he puts it: "Both teams possess the quality to take the other apart."
Harbour View, last year's beaten NPL finalists, have three things to their advantage. The first relates to them taking full points from Waterhouse when the teams met in the first round.
Then the 'Stars of the East' emerged 3-2 winners at Compound. Secondly, the last time Harbour View played at the National Stadium they came up winners beating Tivoli in the second leg tie of the 2003 NPL final.
However, the result turned out to be only of academic interest as Tivoli, who beat them in the first leg tie, emerged champions.
And if the win at Stadium last time is of no real importance then consider the fact that Harbour View are the 'kings' of the Caribbean, having beaten Tivoli 3-2 on aggregate to win the Caribbean Football Union Club Championships.
NOT REAL IMPETUS
But for Hayles, these accomplishments are not real impetus for today's game.
"I am not one of those who will look at history and take it for granted. If we don't come out and play good football on Sunday it will cost us. Waterhouse are a very good team. They have a formidable midfield and a good attack," he said.
Meanwhile, Waterhouse, unlike Harbour View, notched up a win in their final game of the first round, a 4-1 demolition of Constant Spring at Drewsland, a feat Harbour View failed to accomplish when they travelled to Montego Bay on Wednesday night and had to fight for a 4-4 tie lowly Wadadah.
The 'Drewsland' side has in its favour memories of toppling the 'Stars of the East' in last year's end of round final played at Tony Spaulding Sports complex in Arnett Gardens. Then Waterhouse won 2-1 after goals from Nigerian Uchechukwu Chinyere and Kevin Lamey outdid Lovel Palmer's strike.
There is no Chinyere in the Waterhouse side this time around as the striker has returned home. However, his absence has had no real impact on Waterhouse's ability to score goals. Kevin Lamey is as lethal as ever and is expected to play a key role in today's game. Similarly, the likes of Roberto Fletcher and Shane Edwards have shown their ability to strike well.
MENACING CUSTOMER
Demar Phillips on the left side of midfield is a menacing customer and should cause problems from the Harbour View defenders. Likewise Weston Forrest, Irvin English, Damion Powell, Baris Johnson and Oneil Robinson should keep Hayles' defenders on their toes the whole afternoon.
In defence, Waterhouse stand tall in the shape of the competent goalie Locksley Reid, skipper Desmond Breakenridge, Craig White and Michael Stone.
Harbour View boast an equally potent and attractive line-up. In goalkeeper Ryan Thompson they have relatively safe hands.
Their defence is a very experienced one with the like of Damion 'Stew Peas' Stewart at the wheels and Clifton Waugh, youngster Jermaine Taylor, William Richards, Robert Scarlett and Craig Stewart if needs be, all being more than capable lieutenants.
But the man on whose shoulders Harbour View's hopes rest primarily is Jermain Hue.
This little maestro in midfield is the feeder of Luton Shelton, Akeem Priesley, Jomo Gordon, Sean Fraser and Nicholas McCreath, and thus will be the man Waterhouse will try to stifle. Cargill contends that it will take a team effort to beat Harbour View who, he said, "are on a high right now sitting at the place we want to be champions of the Caribbean."
The final kicks off at 5:00 p.m. and will be preceded by the Tivoli versus Portmore match-up in the Under-21 final at 3:00 p.m.
