Kemps Hill look to maintain winning run in daCosta Cup

WHEN the final set of play-off matches in Zone I of the daCosta Cup schoolboy football competition kicks off tomorrow, surprise team Kemps Hill High will be eyeing a third straight win. They will host Denbigh High at 3:30 p.m.

After ambushing the then-unbeaten zone leaders Glenmuir High 1-0 at home to open their play-off campaign, Kemps Hill followed up with another impressive 1-0 win over defending champions Garvey Maceo High last Saturday. That victory silenced doubters and proved their earlier win was no fluke.

With those two victories, Kemps Hill have climbed to 19 points and secured their spot in the round of 32. They join Glenmuir (22 points) and Garvey Maceo (21) as the three qualifiers from the zone.

With Denbigh already eliminated, tomorrow’s clash will be a formality for them. However, Kemps Hill coach Mitchell Kepshill is determined to keep his team’s momentum going.

“We’re going for three points here. When we played Denbigh away it ended 1-1, but now that we’re at home we’re confident of a win,” said Kepshill, who believes a victory could push his team to second place on 22 points.

He expressed satisfaction with his team’s progress.

“This is the second straight year we’ve advanced to the round of 32. Last season we reached the round of 16, but this year we want to go even further,” he added.

In the other Zone I fixture, Glenmuir will host Garvey Maceo in a clash of former champions. After a goalless draw with Denbigh, coach Andre Peart’s Glenmuir side will be aiming to get back on track after they gained just one point from their last two outings, including that shock loss to Kemps Hill.

Peart admitted his team’s finishing has been poor.

“The team played well overall, but poor finishing cost us maximum points. That’s the main concern going forward – we need to start scoring again,” he said.

He will be banking on key players such as forward Orel Miller, captain Orane Watson, and midfield leader Dusting Cohen to deliver.

After thrashing Garvey Maceo 4-0 away a week ago, Glenmuir will be eager for another strong performance at home as they look to close the zone play-offs on a high and carry the confidence into the round of 32 later this week.