Zebras eyeing Triple Crown
PHC Zebras' Triple Crown destiny is now in their own hands and assistant coach Jack Castle is confident his club can achieve the feat this season.
Having already wrapped up a record ninth Premier Division title and set up a Friendship Trophy final showdown with North Village later this month,
Zebras can take another step towards achieving a first Triple Crown in nearly four decades with victory tomorrow over First Division Wolves at Bernard Park.
"We have put ourselves in this position and so now it's all about trying to make more history. We are just going to try and do what we have been doing all season long and make it to the final," Castle said yesterday.
"We are just looking to put our best foot forward and get through to the final."
With Somerset Trojans and North Village out of the competition, Zebras now find themselves in an ideal position to become the first club to win the coveted FA Cup on ten occasions. But first they will have to see off an unpredictable Wolves before they can even begin thinking about appearing in a first FA Cup final in 16 years and third cup final this season.
And Castle isn't taking anything for granted against a team that hammered PHC 7-1 on aggregate to raise the 2001-02 Dudley Eve Trophy.
"They knocked out last year's champions (Devonshire Colts) in the last round and so we can't take them for granted," he warned.
"Wolves are a team we haven't played and don't know a whole lot about them. Therefore, we have to look at playing our system of play and see how they make the adjustments on the day."
Zebras will be bolstered by the return of frontmen Kevin Lambe and Raynel (Manga) Lightbourne while should the need arise, player/coach Kyle Lightbourne can lace up on a moment's notice. The former English pro striker netted Zebras' league title clinching goal in PHC's previous outing against Devonshire Cougars.
"The guys have looked good in training this week," Castle continued.
"We are now back to full strength with Manga and Kevin both looking good."
Wolves will be looking to advance through to a first FA Cup final in 11 years and become the fourth First Division club in the past eight years to reach the final of the prestigious competition.
The Devonshire-based club narrowly missed out on promotion to the top tier but can prolong their season and salvage pride with a win over heavily fancied PHC.
"That (FA Cup) is all we have left, so if we can salvage something from our season it will be well worth it," commented Wolves manager Robert Thomas.
"We'll just put our best foot forward and see what happens on the day."
Zebras lost some of their sting in their previous two league outings, losing to Village and then salvaging a draw against Cougars. And with Zebras having not kicked a ball as a unit in nearly two weeks, Thomas hopes to catch Zebras cold when the two sides clash.
"Whoever wants it the most on the day is going to take it - that's the bottom line," he added. "This could possibly be our last game or it could be two more games.
Wolves will again pin their hopes on prolifc scorer Dane Benjamin and midfielder Vince Minors jr while college kid Jason Davis, if available, could also prove a handful for Zebras.
Tomorrow's second FA Cup semi-final sees last year's beaten finalists Boulevard coming up against Dandy Town at Somerset Cricket Club in a match that most football observers believe could go either way.
Women's FA Cup semi-final action is also slated for tomorrow with Somerset Hurricanes taking on Dandy Stars at Bernard Park and Lady Rams pitted against Lady Cougars at Somerset Cricket Club.