JDF ‘have nothing to lose’ in Cup semis against Mt Pleasant, says coach

Giant killers, the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), will hope to continue their march through the Popeyes’ Challenge Cup competition when they take on Mt Pleasant FA in one semi-final today at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex set to start at 8:30 pm.

The JDF are the only Jamaica Football Championships (JFC) team left in the competition after they knocked out giants Cavalier SC and Arnett Gardens in the two previous rounds.

Coach Donovan Dennison says despite being the underdogs, they are not backing down from the challenge. “We have nothing to lose, every one is expecting Mt Pleasant to win, but I will not be surprised when we get to the final.”

In the first game of the double header, Montego Bay United and Molynes will seek to make amends for missing out on silverware in the Jamaica Premier League when they meet for a place in the final set for Tuesday, also at Arnett Gardens.

After just failing to qualify for the semi-finals in the JFC in their first season, the JDF have been on a rampage, knocking out Cavalier SC days after they were beaten in the JPL finals by Portmore United, and Dennison said it was not by luck.

He said they had done their homework, studied Cavalier’s style of play and countered as best as they could and has reaped success.

“Just as we did going into the two previous games, we are the number 19-ranked team in the competition and we are playing against Caribbean champions, but as soldiers we are not going into the assignment unprepared,” said Dennison.

The JDF had a slow start to the season, losing three of their first four games, but Dennison explained that all their players had been deployed to the Hurricane Melissa-ravaged western end of the island and were only reassembled two weeks before the start of the competition and were not physically ready.

“But you would have seen that we peaked at the end of the championships, winning our last five games, missing the semi-finals by two points, and we were able to carry over that form into the Popeyes Cup,” he said.

Despite playing their first season in a national competition in more than a decade, Dennison said they had quality players at their disposal, “Our players have come through proper systems, we have players who have played in the Premier League before and have been outstanding players at the high school level at schools such as Dinthill Technical and Eltham High.”

He said he understands that the odds will be against them taking on Mt Pleasant: “We have nothing to lose, just as we had nothing to lose against Cavalier and Arnett Gardens. We are going out there to play some good football and to entertain the fans.”

Mt Pleasant will come into the game on the back of two contrasting wins, hammering fellow St Ann club Lime Hall Academy 5-0 and then beating Chapleton Maroons 4-2 on penalties after coming from behind to earn a 1-1 draw in their quarter-final game at Drax Hall.

Daniel Green had scored a hat-trick against Lime Hall, with Fitzroy Cummings scoring the equaliser on Tuesday, and they will hope to add silverware this season as they prepare for their first Caribbean Football Union Shield set to be played next month.

In the first game, Dillon Thelwell, assistant coach of MBU, says they are hoping to salvage their season after back-to-back fourth-place finishes in the JPL, but will be aware of a “tough Molynes team”.

MBU have won two of their three meetings against Molynes United in the JPL season, but were held to a 2-2 draw as the Kingston team battled to get out of the relegation zone.

“The Popeyes Cup is very important for us,” Thelwell, who was on the sidelines in their 1-0 win over newly crowned Portmore United on Tuesday, told the Jamaica Observer. “We came up short in the Premier League and did not meet our goals, and we want something, for the players and for the city.”

Semi-final games (Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex)

Montego Bay United vs Molynes United at 6:00 pm

Jamaica Defence Force vs Mt Pleasant FA at 8:30 pm

Quarter-final Results

Arnett Gardens 0 (3), Jamaica Defence Force 0 (5)

Portmore United 0, Montego Bay United 1

Tru-Juice FC 1, Molynes United 2

Chapleton Maroons 1 (2), Mount Pleasant FA 1 (4)