The star studded St.Peter’s College will be hell-bent on breaking the six year St.Joseph’s hoodoo when these sides meet for the 25th occasion at the Joe-Pete Silver Jubilee Soccer Encounter.
The encounter is scheduled to kick off this Friday (23rd October) at 3.30pm at CR&FC Grounds.
Glimpse into the history
Apart from the years 1992 and 2014 when the match wasn’t played due to unavoidable circumstances, the encounter has been going on uninterrupted for the last 24 years. Out of the 24 times this match was played St Peter’s have won 12 times while the Josephians have won only 11 times.
It was only once in the history of this game did the match end in a draw which was due to bad light in the year 2013. The Biggest victory in the series was recorded by the champion Josephian team led by talented playmaker Jerome Ambrose in 1991, as they thrashed the Peterites 5-1.
Another interesting fact is that four times the matches have ended in penalties and on all four occasions the Josephians have won so maybe the Josephians do have nerves of steel. Even though St.Peter’s lead the series 12-11, Josephians have kept hold of the trophy for the last five years.
Season thus far
The Josephians led by Asitha Fernando ended runners-up in the Zonal championships that was held early this year and thus qualified for the provincial tournament. The provincial run was a performance that took their spirits up ending up as semifinalists.
It is notable that the Josephians have been meeting the Peterties at regular occasions during the tournament. In the quarterfinal of the provincial tournament, St.Joseph’s College defeated St.Peter’s College to advance to the top four while the lads from Darley road had an adrenaline boost when they ousted Wesley College 4-0 in their annual friendly.
The Peterites have dominated all their group stage matches in Kotmale Chox U19 Schools Championship, while S.Thomas’ took them to the edge in a 2-1 win. Their stand out performance was against Maliyadeva College in which they managed to score 14 goals.
The other results being; 4-0 victory over Lumbini College, 4-0 win over Dharmaraja College and finally a moral boosting 5-0 victory in their final group stage match against St.Benedict’s College last week. St.Peter’s College were runners-up in last year’s Kotmale Chox U19 Championship after been beaten 2-1 by Zahira College.
They won the FFSL Futsal tournament which was held at Austasia Sports Complex this year. It was a comprehensive 3-1 victory in the final against defending champions S.Thomas’ College. Peterites were placed 4th at the Zahira Super 16 Soccer 7’s which was held last week after being defeated by Royal College in the semi-final and by Zahira in the 3rd place playoff.
The key to success
Peterites have a star studded side with five players who are representing the U19 national side, including Peshala Malik, Afam Akram, Sunthararaj Niresh, Perumal Praveen and Ishan Danusha.
Apart from Danusha and Malik the other three have Premier League experience. Afam Akram plays for Java Lane and Niresh and Praveen plays for Saunders SC and Pelicans SC respectively.
The key for the Peterites will be their midfield and forwards. Sundarajha Niresh, the playmaker will be a major threat in the match, being the highest goal scorer for St Peter’s and with all his experience in club level. He will be well supported by the dynamic winger Afam Akram. With his skill and speed in front any opposing team should be on their toes at all times.
Peterites have a formidable defense led by Captain Angelo Perera, having conceding only 1 goal thus far in the Kotmale Chox U19 Schools Championship. Recent results have shown how dominant they have been but the pressure of a traditional big match could work both ways for a team.
Peterite skipper Angelo Perera speaking to ThePapare.com stated, “We are confident about the big match. Our team certainly has the ability to win but it will all depend on how we are going to perform on that day. We have dominated this season so far but the big match is different. We are playing with pride and with all the expectation of all Peterites weighing on our shoulders.”
Third year player Asitha Fernando who takes the reigns as skipper for St.Joseph’s and will look to add a few more to his assists count in the upcoming weeks. Playing his final year for college, Asitha has been the key playmaker for the side creating almost all of the opportunities in which his team scored. Fernando will be looking for his two options in the wing, Prashanth Selvarajah and Clevin Perera to capitalize on the opportunities in order to make them goals.
The responsibility of the Josephian defense is vested on their deputy skipper Mayuraka Perera who will be making sure that his men leaves no gap for his opponents. He and senior-man Lakshan Wickramasinghe will be hold their grit in as center-backs for the team whilst in support will be Marshall Johnson and Kesaru Dakshita on the left and right.
It will all come down to the final man who will be the difference and St. Joseph’s College have many options in store for the position of goalkeeper. Shevanka Kurumbalapitiya will be their first choice in that regard but the youngster Rasanjaya Anuradha will also come in handy at situations.
Angelo Perera © – Michael Anandaraj – Jerome Kaushal – Johan Wickremasinghe – Lasith Jayasinghe – Malinda Fernando – Dananjaya Supramitha – Kanjuka Wijesinghe – Dineth Wijesena – Sashika Prabasara – Fayadh Fiaz – Vashikaran Veeriah – Kalpa Fernando – Diluka Peiris – Ishan Danusha – Perumal Praveen – Niran Fernando – Ashfaq Ayub – Peshala Rajakaruna – S.Thanujan – Saravana Nadaraja
Asitha Fernando © – Mayuraka Perera (vc) – Marshal Johnson – Lakshan Esanka – Harsha Prabath – Esanda Dakshina – Vishodh De Alwis – Sachintha Maduranga – Thishan Fernando – Milinda – Shevanka Kurumblapitiya – Sidath Harshana – Jayson Fernando – Aamila Dananjaya – Sachin Subasinghe – Ashen Malinda – Selvarajah Prasanth – Yohan – Kesara Dakshitha – Rasanjaya Anuranga – Charaka Udayanga – Michael Hingert – Clevin Perera.
