Howard Walker, Staff Reporter
Denroy Gordon of Tivoli Gardens (left) holds off Portmore United's Tyrone Sawyers in an earlier encounter this season. Both players will play integral parts as their teams hunt the National Premier League title in the finals, which start this evening at the National Stadium. - RICARDO MAKYN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
DEFENDING CHAMPIONS Tivoli Gardens and Port-more United enter today's Wray and Nephew National Premier League first leg final confident of victory and raring to go when they clash at the National Stadium starting at 7:00 p.m.
Tivoli Gardens will be hunting back-to-back titles and in the process will be aiming to become only the fourth team in Premier League history, behind Santos (1974-'77), Reno (1990-'91) and Arnett Gardens (2000-'01) to achieve the feat.
If Tivoli win their fourth title they will become the second most successful team in NPL history behind Santos' five titles.
But such an achievement will not be easy as Portmore United will be hell bent on regaining the title they won two seasons ago, especially after winning two of their three meetings this season.
Tivoli, who first won the title 22 years ago, will be hunting their fourth overall, following wins in 1983, 1999 and 2004.
TIVOLI'S MANAGER CONFIDENT
Brian Rose, manager of the west Kingston-based champions, is quietly confident that his team can successfully retain the title, but thinks it is down to the side that is more focussed on the day.
"The team that prepares most mentally and focuses more will have the edge. We expect it to be a very good game as both team possess very good players," said Rose.
The orange-and-black-clad Tivoli turned in a spirited performance to knock out this season's nemesis Harbour View in the semi-finals, 5-2 on aggregate, and are out to prove the critics wrong once again.
"The vibes are good and we feel good to reach so far as a lot of people have written us off saying we would just reach the semi-final and that's it. But the guys are feeling good that they have silenced some of the critics," Rose noted.
HUNTING SECOND TITLE
Meanwhile, Portmore United, formerly Hazard of Clarendon before relocating to St Catherine, will be hunting only their second title and are favoured in most people books to do just that.
Paul Young, coach of a young and talented Portmore United aggregation, is expecting a competitive and tough game from the champions.
"It is going to be a very competitive game. Tivoli are the defending champions and they are coming to defend their title. We have to go out there and fight, control the tempo of the game and execute and get a good result," Young told The Gleaner before heading off to Morgan's Harbour, Port Royal, where the team is camping in.
The defending champions might be without their leading goalscorer, Christopher Nicholas, who rattled in 23 goals this season and although he was missing in the two-leg semi-finals, Tivoli Gardens still managed to score five times against a quality team.
According to his manager, Nicholas has a 50/50 chance of playing after suffering a muscle strain last week.
Kasai Hinds, captain of Tivoli Gardens, said he expected his team to turn the tables on Portmore who have defeated them two out of three meetings this year. "The guys know what to do and we are confident of defending our title," Hinds said.
Tivoli Gardens will be depending on Hinds; his brother, Christopher Jackson; Roland Dean; the hard-working Waheem Walker; Steve Green; Orane Simpson; Kemar Mills; Lenworth Hyde, Jr. and Marco McDonald.
Portmore, blessed with young talent, will be welcoming back a couple of senior players who missed the second leg against Waterhouse.
Coach Young, embarrassed with options, said one or two players who were missing on Sunday will be included, but will be sticking with "the players who are getting the job done. That's how we operate."
Portmore might have to do without their inspirational midfielder, Wolry Wolfe and Rudolph Austin as they suffered ankle and knee injuries respectively on Sunday.
But with the expected return of senior players Omar Daley, Jason Morrison and Chris Dawes to link up with Kevin Deerr, two-goal hero Mario Swaby, Rafei and Kemeel Wolfe, Tyrone and Shawn Sawyers, Anthony Modeste, Ryan Powell, Oneil McDonald and young striking sensation Steve Morrisey, they look in good shape.
In a final that can go either way, Tivoli and Portmore should provide a grand spectacle worth going miles to see based on their impressive semi-final wins.
