Almost seven weeks of BG T&T Secondary Schools Football League action comes down to 90 minutes as South Zone champions Naparima College take on their East Zone counterparts, San Juan Secondary Comprehensive, in today's SSFL "Big Five" Final at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella.
And for San Juan, a chance at revenge and the elusive title they so crave is just a victory away.
Today's match-up is a repeat of the 2005 final, when "Naps" escaped with a 1-0 victory thanks to a headed goal late in the opening period at the Larry Gomes Stadium.
Current San Juan skipper Elijah Manners, playing the role of striker, could not save his team from finishing runners-up then.
But as he showed in last Friday's 2-0 beating of Mason Hall Secondary, the Tobago Zone winners, Manners has grown in stature and ability and could prove even more of a thorn against his Southern rivals.
Attacking mid-fielder Shahdon Winchester, who proved valuable in Naps' 3-0 humbling of St Anthony's College Tigers in last week's other Big Five semi-final, was also in the 2005 match and is expected to play a much bigger role this time around.
Both teams are strong in defence, having conceded just five goals apiece to date, but where San Juan may have the edge is the variety in their striking force and their potency in front of goal.
The defending InterCol champs have managed to find the net in all but one of their matches this season, when they lost out to East Zone rivals, the St Augustine Secondary Comprehensive "Green Machine", by a 1-0 score-line.
According to Naps coach Shawn Cooper, who is preaching development to the young players, his team is not about to change their game plan for today's final.
"As you know, we depend on a solid defence," Cooper explained to the Express yesterday, "but we have a little more attacking prowess in 2007, in relation to that team in 2005.
"I believe we are playing better football [now] than back then. The guys now, and the school now is starting to understand our style of play."
San Juan's goal is a little less complex, manager Phillip Fraser declared yesterday.
"I'm hoping for a turn around. I'm hoping we can turn the tables around from that 2005 defeat. I don't think it will make any difference. We have a job to do, [and] we're going out there to go and get the job done."
Cooper offered "no predictions" for this afternoon's encounter, but said his team are not afraid of San Juan.
"...We are not Mason Hall. And as their coach said, they are accustomed to the big times. We're accustomed to the big times also. The last time the two schools met, they [San Juan] came out victorious 2-0. We have our game plan, I'm sure they will have theirs and, on the day, whoever executes, well, they will win."
Fraser is confident, though, that his team can match Naps stride for stride.
"Traditionally, they normally have a strong defence, but that isn't going to change our mindset that we have a defence that will be willing to match Naps style of play."
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