Either Hamilton Parish or Paget Lions will get their hands on a first major honour in top-flight football when they clash in the Dudley Eve Trophy final at Wellington Oval tomorrow.

The Hot Peppers are making their second appearance in a major final, having lost 2-0 to North Village in the FA Cup Final in 2004-05.

Lions, who won the First Division Shield in 2022-23, are making their debut in a top-flight final and coach Antwan Russell has a full squad to choose from. But his Parish counterpart, Sergio Goater, is without the trio of Justin Bell, Nahjae Brockington and Jahyre Bean.

Lions hold a psychological advantage heading into the contest, having thrashed their rivals 4-1 in a Premier Division affair in the previous meeting between the teams at the same venue last month.

Both teams are highly motivated to finally get a first major title under their belt.

“That’s definitely a driving force behind it because it will be a first for the club, community and myself,” Goater told The Royal Gazette.

“The motivation has been really high. We have been training in numbers and everybody is inspired and looking forward to it.

“We have been in five semi-finals in the Premier Division since I have been here, so to be in this final now, we have to push for it.”

Parish forward Bell is off island, defender Bean is unavailable for personal reasons while midfielder Brockington is recovering from a broken arm he suffered against league champions PHC Zebras.

“We have a few players unavailable but we definitely have a full squad to be able to compete,” Goater insisted.

The Hot Peppers hold a psychological advantage of their own over their rivals with the final being played at their home ground, which Goater hopes to exploit.

“I see it as an advantage with big open spaces and the type of football we like to play, so it should be pretty good,” he said. “It’s a pretty decent field, especially as a spectacle for the fans, and one of the better pitches around.”

Goater is not bothered by the heavy defeat his team suffered in their last meeting.

“On the basis of that game, I think the scoreline was a bit flattering but nevertheless that’s what the stats say, so we definitely have to respect that,” he said.

“They beat us, so of course they will be feeling pretty confident in trying to repeat that. It’s a first major final for them as well so it should be an interesting game.”

Russell, who is also yet to earn a major title in the top flight as a coach, is confident his team can rise to the challenge.

“The boys are buzzing and we just have confidence because of who I am; I am a winner and expect to win,” he declared. “As a coach I am trying to instil the same thing in my players, so with all due respect it does not matter who we are playing against.

“We don’t worry about who we are playing. It’s more or less confidence in ourselves and the training that we have put in, and we have put in some real hours training hard so it’s all about the work we do.

“Everybody is available and the guys are just excited to play in the final. The attitude and vibe is good and right where you want it to be.”

Like his opposite number, Russell also played down his team’s resounding win in their previous clash with Hot Peppers and anticipates a tougher outing against Parish this time around with silverware at stake.

“I would not get over the hill about that because looking at the circumstances at the time I think they had 12 players [to choose from],” he added. “You have no substitutes on a big field like St George’s and I have fresh quality legs on the bench, so I would not gauge off that game but last season and the Parish that I know and respect.

“We played against them the most last season and it was always a tight game. It was always a battle.”

Russell insists he has no qualms playing a cup final on the opposition’s own turf.

“This is not a disadvantage and will probably be more pressure on them,” he said. “We are looking to win wherever we play and could have played at Hamilton Parish’s club.

“We are going to show up and not use that as an excuse.”

The Dudley Eve Trophy final kicks off at 2.30pm and will be preceded by the Leonard DeRosa Holder Under-15 final pitting PHC against North Village at noon.