Dudley Eve Trophy semi-final spots up for grabs
PHC Zebras head coach Cecoy Robinson is confident his team can win their crucial final Dudley Eve group B match against Young Men’s Social Club at Devonshire Recreation Club tonight (9pm).
PHC trail group leaders Devonshire Cougars by three points and must beat Bluebirds by six goals if they are to overhaul Cougars at the summit and clinch the sole automatic semi-final spot available.
While Robinson is not predicting his team will win by such a margin, he is sure that his side can pick up three points.
“We are confident but football is played on the pitch,” he said. “We need to correct some of the things we got wrong in the last game and we are coming to fight.
“We need to get that win under the belt as the start of the league is fast approaching so we need this to settle.”
Cougars clawed their way back twice to salvage a 2-2 draw against PHC in their tournament opener before closing out the group stage with a thumping 5-0 win over Bluebirds.
Social Club’s hopes of securing the sole automatic semi-final berth have already been dashed, but they can still advance should they finish as the best runners-up among the three groups.
The stakes will also be high for X-Roads Warriors and Devonshire Colts, who will clash in the final group C match in the first game at 7pm.
X-Roads trail leaders St George’s by three points and must win by two goals if they are to pip the former for the sole automatic semi-final spot up for grabs.
Warriors, who will be bolstered by the return of talisman Donovan Thompson, erased a three-goal deficit to salvage a draw with St George’s in their opening group match.
Colts are also in a must-win situation if they are to keep their hopes of advancing to the final four alive after they lost 2-1 to St George’s in their first game.