Record-holding former T&T international goalscorer Stern John salvaged a point for his new club WASA FC, with a first half goal but was unable to lift the defending champion out of the relegation zone after the Waterboys played to a 1-1 draw with Tobago’s 1976 FC Phoenix in blink/bmobile National Super League action, on Sunday.
John, who signed for WASA a month ago, is now part of the fight to prevent his team from becoming the first club to win the Super League and suffer relegation the following season. Previously unattached, John scored his first goal for the club in the 32nd minute, six minutes after LeJandro Williams gave Phoenix a 1-0 lead.
The result dropped WASA from 11th to 12th of the 13 teams, after FC Santa Rosa, which sit bottom at the start of the match day, made its trip to Tobago count with a shocking 4-2 win over Stokely Vale.
Stokely Vale subsequently moved out of the relegation zone ahead of Bethel United, on goal-differential.
Meanwhile, all three top teams in the standings—Club Sando, Guaya United and Malabar FC—maintained their respective positions. Leader Club Sando and second-placed Guaya escaped with 2-1 wins over Joe Public and Bethel, respectively, while Malabar thrashed Siparia Spurs, a day prior.
Guaya United, which sits two points behind Club Sando, remains with a match in hand. Thus, it will capture the title in its inaugural season if the club wins its remaining matches.
With the league nearing its end, no confirmation has been made whether Defence Force will forfeit its remaining matches. The team played 16 Super League matches before a decision was made by Army officials to indefinitely withdraw the club from all sporting competitions.
Once all other matches are completed, and granted Defence Force does not confirm its total withdrawal by the last round of matches, the T&T Football Association’s (TTFA) tournaments and competitions committee is expected to rule on the matter.
Action will continue with four matches in a reschuled round tomorrow with the top three teams in action.
Results
Sunday
1976 FC Phoenix 1 (LeJandro Williams 26th) vs WASA FC 1 (Stern John 32nd)
FC Santa Rosa 4 (Jordan Devonish 22nd, 61st, David Lezama 34th, 55th) vs Stokely Vale 2 (Tyronne Manning 9th, 88th)
Club Sando 2 (Anthony Noreiga 47th, Kerron Smith 69th) vs Joe Public 1 (Kevin Caprietta 89th)
Guaya United 2 (Carlon Hughes 53rd, Ryan Stewart 73rd) vs Bethel United 1 (Veron Wilson 86th)
Westside Superstarz vs T&T Defence Force – Postponed
Saturday
Malabar FC 5 (Cyrano Glen 5th, own goal 17th, Cordell Samuel 22nd, Ellis Dyett 71st, Hayden Tinto 86th) vs Siparia Spurs 0
Tomorrow’s Fixtures
Guaya United vs Real Maracas, Guaya Recreation Ground, 4 pm
WASA FC vs Malabar FC, WASA Ground, St Joseph, 4 pm
Stokely Vale vs Joe Public, Plymouth Recreation Ground, 5 pm
Club Sando vs Siparia Spurs, Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva, 6 pm
Standings
Teams P W D L F A Pts
Club Sando 21 16 3 2 60 20 51
Guaya United 20 16 1 3 52 24 49
Malabar FC 21 15 3 3 76 30 48
Phoenix 23 7 10 6 32 39 31
Real Maracas 21 8 4 9 36 28 28
Stokely Vale 21 8 2 11 33 47 26
Siparia Spurs 21 6 6 9 41 42 24
Westside 22 7 1 14 33 56 22
Joe Public 20 5 6 9 29 36 21
FC Santa Rosa 21 5 5 11 28 47 20
Bethel Utd 21 5 5 11 29 51 20
WASA FC 22 4 7 11 25 34 19
Defence Force 16 5 3 8 23 44 18