North Village coach Calvin Dill Jr believes the Friendship Trophy final against Dandy Town at Wellington Oval on New Year’s Day (2pm) will boil down to who has the most desire.

Village, one of the most successful teams in the competition, have not won the competition since the 2011-12 season, with their bid to end the drought facing a stern test from holders Town.

“It’s going to come down to who wants it the most,” Dill told The Royal Gazette.

“Dandy Town is running hot right now and we’re having a nice little groove going as well. I’ve got a feeling that we want it more, but we have to come in to play football and enjoy the moment.

“We have put in the hard work at training and that must show in games. I think we’ll be mentally ready for the match. We just have to keep the players focused on what we want to do and play our game. That’s all we can do, you can’t really worry about the other team.

“The Friendship Trophy has eluded us for a while, so let’s hope the boys are ready to bring it back home. Villages like to be in finals and we enjoy playing football on a big field at St George’s.”

Jarreau Hayward, the Town coach, has said his side are primed for their title defence.

“We’re definitely looking forward to the challenge and we're definitely looking forward to defending our crown on an excellent surface at St George’s,” Hayward said.

“My good friend Patches [Calvin Dill] has done excellent things for Village and made the necessary adjustments to have them on a winning streak.

“They’re doing really well in the league and obviously have done really well in the Friendship to this point.

“It means we have to be organised and have a good couple of sessions, which will be really good for us. We’ll make sure we bring our A-game.

“We had a training session on Sunday, just something light to give the guys who played some recovery. For those who didn’t play, it was a chance to get their legs good and stay sharp.

“We had a session on Tuesday night then something light on Wednesday just before everyone enjoys their New Year's Eve. The system is really detailed, so we can’t afford to go too long without rehearsing.”

Village have taken it easy after they edged Devonshire Colts 1-0 at PHC Field on Saturday night in the semi-finals courtesy of Jonté Smith goal.

“We are relaxed and ready to go,” Dill said.

“We had our final training session on Tuesday night and we are geared up for the final on Thursday.

“We know we are playing against a spirited Dandy Town side and they’ll surely raise their game because they’re playing against North Village.”

Hayward is trying to manage his players as they have a league encounter against Young Men’s Social Club just two days later at White Hill Field.

“We play New Year's Day but then we also play two days later on the Saturday,” the Town coach said.

“So we’re going to prioritise it one game at a time and just remain focused on the final at this moment. We’re definitely going to need absolutely everybody, the whole squad fit and ready to play two days later.

“Certain guys won’t be able to play in that game, but that’s no excuse for us. We’re prioritising the next game and we’re prioritising our system and progress, that’s the main thing.”

Dill and Hayward formed the management team that brought joy to the East End in 2024 when they won the FA Cup with St George’s Colts. As St George’s residents, they are also likely to divide support from the local community.

“St George’s is like home to me,” the Village coach said.

“I have a lot of respect for Jarreau. I think he’s doing well at Dandy Town and I wish him the best, but I’m hoping that we come out on top of this.”

The Town coach is sure that the fans down East do not wish success for Village, something he hopes translates to backing for the Hornets.

“I love my mother club, St George’s,” Hayward said.

“It’ll be really nice to be down there and hopefully, we can win. It’ll be a really challenging 90 minutes and hopefully Dandy Town can walk away with it.

“If I know anything about St George’s people, they’re not going to back North Village. So hopefully they back Dandy Town but either way I know they want both of us to succeed.

“My feeling is that they don’t want Village to win, but that doesn’t mean that they want Dandy Town to win. Either way, it should be a good occasion.”