On Saturday the small crowd that gathered at St. Mary's Grounds was quite buoyant and came with the expectation of seeing a Saints win over their San Juan visitors. Unfortunately for the St. Mary's fans the boys from Bourg had not received a copy of this script. The 'Saints' seemed to have left all their energy and aggression in the dressing room with their pre-match "Raz-A-Taz" chant. They were sluggish in possession at most times and did not give the look of a cohesive unit. Their lone striker Chinua Bernard looked the most dangerous on the day but even his efforts came up short. San Juan on the other hand cut the look of a very well-drilled team. They were first to many loose balls and they were more decisive in the attacking third.
San Juan dictated most of the play in the second half and this was mainly down to the performances of two players; Brent Sam and Josiah Trimingham. The giant-like figure of Sam was just too much for the St. Mary's defense to deal with, especially after the withdrawal of centre-back Rickel Dixon. Dixon's absence at the back was certainly felt as Sam just did as he pleased, leaving his defenders with 'water in their knees' on a few occasions. Sam cemented his imprint on the game by scoring San Juan's first goal from a free kick and then setting up the second with some mesmerizing solo play on the right wing.
Trimingham was not as flashy as his captain Sam but he was just as effective. His bulkiness and power overwhelmed the St. Mary's midfield and he was able to dictate most of his team's play with his tackling and distribution. The National Under-20 player almost got his name on the score sheet as well but he was beaten to that honor by his teammate Jermell Britto after a scramble in the area.
San Juan came away with a deserved 2 nil win in the end.
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| Trimingham rises high |
With the disappointing result against San Juan even the most optimistic of Saints fans would not have been expecting a victory; a draw perhaps. Well thanks to playmaker Ethan Shim the Saints can now revel in the fact that they have knocked the Tigers off the top of the table and have cut the gap between the two teams to three points.
There were not many changes to the St. Mary's team that played San Juan but yet the team looked totally different. There was more heart and enthusiasm in today's performance as opposed to Saturday's. It was a much better team effort and all the players were willing to put their bodies on the line. Though Shim stole the show with a beautiful left-footed finish in the 43rd minute the player of the game had to be Rickel Dixon. The lanky masked Saints defender was rock solid at the back and tackled everything in red once it approached the penalty area. There was a scare in the second half as Dixon pulled up in his penalty area but the leggy Saint opted to soldier on. Saints goalie Joshua De Silva had to be the happiest person on the field with that news as Dixon dealt with most things that came his way; timing his tackles to perfection.
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| Concern for Saints defender Rickel Dixon. |
St. Anthony's were not at their fluent best today as they often forced plays and took hurried shots at goal. They looked promising at times but their efforts often failed to trouble De Silva. Their star player Matthew Woo Ling looked their best bet to unlock the Saints defense but he was often greeted by two or three opposing players. He looked most dangerous at set pieces and nearly made the Saints pay with his deadly left foot a few times. Despite the sturdy Saints resilience and not being at their best the Tigers nearly walked away from Serpentine Road with a point, and maybe they should have. Striker Andrew Rullow missed a glorious chance from about ten yards out in the 88th minute with De Silva a mere spectator.
At the blow of the final whistle it was the Saints of Frederick St. and not Westmoorings that were rejoicing a hard fought victory.
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