Sam's blast not enough as Jabloteh fall again

Defence Force and North East Stars both clinched winning starts to the 2015 leg of the Pro League season with wins over San Juan Jabloteh and St. Ann's Rangers respectively yesterday. Defence Force left it late to secure a 2-1 win versus Jabloteh while Stars did their damage early against the struggling Rangers to seal a 1-0 win.

Jabloteh and Defence Force started at a high tempo in the second match of the Marvin Lee double header with the San Juan front line and midfield working overtime to press their opponents. The Army/Coast Guard combination had the first shot in anger through Richard Roy in the 3rd minute, but the bulky striker was not able to get his effort on frame.

Defence Force was playing their first game without longtime coach Ross Russell whose tenure in the Force has now come to an end after serving for some 26 years. Russell's former charges got the opening item in this contest in the 16th minute after a combination of good wing play and some sloppy defending by Jabloteh. Wide man Jemel Sebro coasted down the right hand flank before squaring a pass back into the penalty area that really should have been dealt with by young centre-back Isiah Mcintyre. However the St. Anthony's standout missed his clearance and left a relatively easy task for midfielder Josimar Belgrave to apply the finishing touch with his namesake Raheem Belgrave stranded in the San Juan goal. Jabloteh's hard early pressing had now been undone.

The youthful looking Jabloteh outfit which started three youngsters who played in the Secondary School League this season showed some promise but was unable to pose a great threat in the final third. One of those schoolboys, Brent Sam, had an opportunity to put his team back on terms in the 20th minute but the striker dragged his snap shot well wide.

The game never looked as though it would be a high scoring one and a second goal for Defence Force in the first period looked like it would seal the job. The goalscorer Belgrave again tried to put one past his namesake after some neat build up play but this time "Birdie" stood solid in the Jabloteh goal and was able to make the save.

Blegrave (J) was now a nuisance to the Jabloteh defense and was just inches away from putting his team up 2-nil at the start of the second half. He made a bustling run through the midfield, shrugging off everyone in his path it seemed, before hitting a low left-footed shot which came back off the post; Jabloteh left off the hook again. His teammate Glynn Franklyn kept up the trend of near misses as he sent his 61st minute header over bar following a corner.

In the 65th minute Jabloteh's Sam made his opponents pay for their wastefulness when he pulled out an absolute cracker that no one could have seen coming. Sam had been feeding on scraps till then so he decided to take things into his own hands it seems. A loose ball fell to Sam some 25 yards away from goal and the lanky striker turned instinctively before unleashing a left-footed cannon that flew past Sheldon Clarke's valiant dive. The high-flying David De Gea would have had problems plucking that one out of the air so Clarke should not be perturbed.

Jabloteh's Brent Sam scored a blinder last night. Here he lines up a free kick for San Juan North in a SSFL 2014 Premier Division Match. 

The game was really anybody's for the taking now as Sam's blast rejuvenated his team and woke up the Force as well. Defence Force's interim head coach Marvin Gordon responded by introducing midfielder Sean Narcis to replace wing-back Jelani Felix while Jabloteh's goalscorer Sam also had to make his way off after picking up an injury in a collision with Clarke.

Jabloteh's right-back Jevon Morris ensured that the game would end in dramatic fashion when he was sent off for his second bookable offence in the 75th minute. Skipper Kerry Baptiste was the player subsequently sacrificed as he made way for defender Dario Holmes.

The odds were now really stacked against Jabloteh as "The Army" knocked the ball around with precision to expose their opponents one-man deficit.

The ten men of Jabloteh nearly took the surprise lead in the 83rd minute when substitute Newton Sterling sent a glancing header just wide after Clarke made an ill-advised move to rush off his line.

Defence Force would put the game to bed just a minute later though as substitutes Kerry Joseph and Sean Narcis linked up well to get the second item. Joseph jinked passed a few challenges down the right-hand flank before finding an unmarked Narcis who deposited his effort with some style. There was nothing Belgrave (R) or the post could do about this effort.

Jabloteh did manage one last effort on goal in the 86th minute but Jamaican attacker Andell Noray saw his shot beaten away by Clarke; All three points to Defence Force then.

In the earlier match of the double header a 7th minute goal from Keron Cummins was enough for North East Stars to overcome St. Ann's Rangers who only have the solitary point to show seven games into the season.

"Come and support us"

By now, most persons in Trinidad and Tobago would know that our women's senior football team is on the cusp of a quite remarkable achievement, that's right the "Women Soca Warriors" as they've dubbed themselves are just one win away from World Cup qualification. In fact, the team has been a win away from a historic qualification berth for a few games but this time is different. This time it is a do or die situation and it's the last chance that both Ecuador and host T&T would have to qualify for next year's Women's World Cup to be staged in Canada. A first for either team if it happens.

Ecuador played to a near capacity crowd when they hosted the "Women Soca Warriors" in a high altitude Estadio Olmpico Atahualpa stadium back on November 8th and the local football administration promised a packed Hasely Crawford Stadium thereafter. The Warriors fought the altitude and their South American opponents hard to come away unscathed in a 0-0 result. A result which means that the onus is really on the host to win the game since the Ecuadorians will qualify with a drawn result, providing there are goals of course. It's an opportune time for the likes of Kennya Cordner, Ahkeela Mollon or veteran Tasha St. Louis to win the hearts of a nation forever.

Even with the match being so delicately poised coach Randy Waldrum does not expect a cagey encounter between the two teams. In an interview with Andre Errol Baptiste on WI Sports the coach stated that he does not foresee either team sitting back or even play for a draw in the encounter. He thanked the the government, TTFA and the fans for their support thus far and urged the spectators to be that 12th Warrior tomorrow, "Come out and support us." he lamented.

The "Women Soca Warriors" greet the girls primary schools finalists ahead of their national final earlier today.
Phtoto by TT Wolf

There has been a lot of heightened optimism and expectation surrounding the game with the general public, officials and players alike all expecting a T&T victory. The interest has been so great that the TTFA today sent out a press release which stated that there will only be a limited number of tickets (Uncovered $100, Covered $200) left to be sold at the Hasely Crawford Stadium from 10 a.m. tomorrow. The question is, do you have your ticket in hand? If the answer is no then have no fear because local radio stations I95.5, Mix 99.1, Power 102FM and 105 FM have all indicated that they will be airing the game which starts at 6 p.m. CNMG will also be bringing the game for those who can't stand to hear the announcer shouting when nothing significant is going on.


But if you do have your ticket in hand then by all means come and support the "Women Soca Warriors" in your red, black or white as they embark on creating history and taking this country to a Football World Cup once more. It should be epic!

Oops! Mucurapo do it again

My Social Media Class Project has come to an end but I have been encouraged to continue the blog so here goes. This is a report of Saturday's Intercol semi-final between East Mucurapo Secondary and San Juan North Secondary. 

East Mucurapo Secondary continued their Cinderella run in this year’s Coca Cola National Intercol competition with a one-nil victory over San Juan North Secondary in the semi-final round. Mucurapo is now just one win away from copping the National Intercol title, a stark contrast to their Premier Division campaign which ended in relegation. Mucurapo have now overcome the likes of St. Anthony’s, St. Mary’s, Speyside and San Juan in their Intercol journey and only St. Benedict’s College stand between them and Intercol glory. Benedict’s have also proven that they are no fluke and can boast of ousting the Premier Division and Big 4 Champs ‘Naps’ on their way to the grand finale.

The game itself at the Larry Gomes Stadium wasn’t the most beautiful to watch as both teams struggled to get the ball on the ground and moving around, often reverting to long balls. San Juan’s giant duo of Josiah Trimingham and Brent Sam did not seem to have their almost telepathic understanding yesterday and their team was sluggish without it. Trimingham was deployed at his natural centre-back, but a dissimilar role to the one he played most of the season as a defensive midfielder. His absence in the centre of the park allowed for Mucurapo’s Glenroy Pierre and Micah Lansiquof to dictate most of the midfield play.

After a goalless first half both teams tried to up the ante in search of that all-important go ahead goal. Sam would have been one of the prime men to break the deadlock but the San Juan captain found an alert Aaron Enil in the Mucurapo goal when he tried to squeeze a shot in at the near post in the 49^th minute. Kathon St. Hillaire also tried his luck at breeching the deadlock but the Mucurapo forward shot just over after cutting in from the right flank.

In truth, St. Hillaire was one of the liveliest players on the pitch and often had Brandon Semper and Jamal Roach scampering on Mucurapo’s right flank to try and contain him. The wily forward got his just reward in the 71^st minute when an attempted clearance by Trimingham cannoned off him and settled neatly in the back of the net; San Juan’s custodian D’Eandre Villaroel was a mere spectator. It was a goal that summed up the match up to that point, scrappy. St. Hilliare’s teammates could care less how the goal came though and dashed after him hoping to get a hold of the man of the moment. St. Hilliarie stopped his runaway celebration by trying to calm down his teammates. 

San Juan’s coach Jerry Moe responded by making two substitutions in quick succession while also thrusting Trimingham a little further forward. The move to put Trimingham in an advanced role almost reaped reward in the 81^st minute but he was unable to keep his shot under the bar after Enil spilled a lofted delivery that came into the box. 

The big Josiah Trimingham tried his utmost to restore parity in the contest and almost did. Here he is in action vs St. Mary's College earlier on in the season.

The Bourg boys were finally showing urgency and even played ‘ball-boy’ for the Mucurapo players, as there were none available. The deadly Sam now turned into a long throw specialist and ushered his players into the penalty area, although he would have been better served being there himself.

San Juan did muster one last effort but Trimingham’s low right-footed drive was stylishly stopped by Enil in stoppage time. Pierre almost added the icing on top for the Mucurapo boys but his inventive finesse effort went just wide.

As it turned out a second item was not needed for the boys in burgundy as St. Hilliare’s fortunate effort, though he may claim otherwise, was the only goal of the contest.

 

San Juan North Secondary 0

East Mucurapo Secondary 1 (Kathon St. Hillaire 71)

Larry Gomes Stadium

(Fri Dec 5)

Girls’ Intercol final

Point Fortin East Secondary v St Augustine Secondary, 3 pm, Hasely Crawford Stadium;

Boys’ Intercol final

St Benedict’s College v East Mucurapo Secondary, 5 pm, Hasely Crawford Stadium.