Kerry Noray does it for nine-man Jabloteh.
By: Nigel Simon.
Kerry Noray scored in the 50th minute to give CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh a 1-0 win over last year’s champion, VIBE CT 105 W Connection, in an ill-tempered T&T Professional Football League Pro Bowl final at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella, on Friday night.
Most, if not all the spectators at the feature match of a double-header expected a close, keen battle, and they were not disappointed. Referee Neil Brizan was kept busy all night.
Brizan dished out nine yellow-cards and three red-cards.
In the 28th minute, Brizan made his most telling decision of the match when he showed red cards to W Connection’s play-maker, Brazilian Gefferson Goulart, and Jabloteh defender, Keyeno Thomas.
Both went in hard for the ball, with Thomas getting there first. However, the sturdy Thomas was not happy with the tackle by Goulart and retaliated by throwing an elbow. A scruffle resulted ,after which Brizan dismissed both players.
Goulart’s dismissal (he has scored seven goals so far this season) hurt W Connection more . His teammates found it difficult to supply the attack.
Meanwhile, the robust tackling of Jabloteh did not let up as Trent Noel, Kerry Baptiste and Cyd Gray also picked up cards in the first-half, while Nicholson Thomas was cautioned for W Connection before the half ended.
Five minutes into the second-half, Josh Johnson, a thorn in the W Connection defence with his speed down the right flank, made another break and his squared pass fell nicely for Noray ,who calmly slotted the ball out of reach of Colombian goalkeeper Alejandro Figueroa from close range.
The “Savonetta Boys” pushed forward in search of an equaliser, but found the Jabloteh back-line, held together by Guyana’s Charles Pollard, too strong to breach.
Eleven minutes from the final whistle, Cyd Gray became the second Jabloteh player to be send off after picking up his second yellow of the match.
Despite the player advantage, W Connection failed to capitalised on their chances and so their eight- match unbeaten run at the start of the season and the Pro Bowl title went out the door.
For Jabloteh and coach Terry Fenwick, it was great reward for their hard work and sweet revenge for last year’s defeat in the final.
Last year in the Bowl final, Jabloteh clawed their way back from a 2-0 half-time deficit before losing 3-0 on penalty-kicks.
It was also the first time this season that W Connection failed to score in a match, having netted 31 times in their previous eight league and knockout matches combined.
Jabloteh clinch Pro Bowl.
By: Ian Prescott.[/color]
The lure of big money rendered the 2005 T&T Pro Bowl a non-vintage renewal of last year's final despite the presence of Vibe CT105 W. Connection and CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh, the teams that contested such a thriller 12 months ago.
A clinical strike from forward Kerry Noray in the 50th minute gave Jabloteh a 1-0 victory and their first major trophy of the new season.
With the biggest-ever prize in local football of more than $65,000 at stake, the teams played a robust, frenetic game which descended into an ill-tempered affair, in which goal-scoring opportunities could be numbered on one hand.
What was abundant, however, were yellow cards. Referee Ted Gordon seemed intent on controlling the aggresssion and dished out cards at will.
Getting the pale ones were Kerry Baptiste, Cyd Gray, Otis Seaton and Devon Mitchell of Jabloteh, while Nicholson Thom, Shane Calderon and Atiba Charles were similarly cautioned for W.Connection.
The first half was remembered only for an excellent reflex save by W. Connection's Colombian keeper Alejandro Figueroa to turn over Nicholas Addlery's header and referee Gordon's telling intervention by sending off Connection's Brazilian top-scorer Jefferson Goulart and Jabloteh stopper Keyeno Thomas after a clash half-hour into the tie.
Jabloteh earlier lost stopper Ian Gray, who was substituted after he had mowed down Goulart but got the worst of the exchange.
By the end, Jabloteh had also lost Cyd Gray, who got a second yellow after a wild tackle.
The defining moment in the game came in the 50th minute when Josh Johnson outpaced Nicholson Thom down the right and drove in a low cross for Noray to tuck past Figueroa.
Just prior to going behind, W. Connection's best effort had been a hard low shot from Brazilian Ronaldo Viana which was turned around the Jabloteh post by keeper Duarance Williams.
At one point in the second half, the teams settled down to play attractive football, but once in front, Jabloteh started to look the better team and appeared certain to double their tally in the 62nd minute.
A neat pass from Noray put Johnson clear of the W. Connection defence, but keeper Figueroa came up with two good saves from Johnson's shots to keep his Connection in the game.
Later, keeper Williams knew little as W.Connection's other Brazilian William Da Silva Oliveira sent a wickedly curling free kick just past his post, but that was the nearest Connection came to scoring. And after losing the over-exuberant Cyd Gray in the 78th minute, Jabloteh successfuly began to waste time.
Urged on by English coach Terry Fenwick, and abbetted mainly by national midfielder Aurtis Whittley, Jabloteh killed off the rest of the match, sending 2005 Pro League leaders W. Connection crashing to their first defeat of the season.
Teams Line-Up:
W Connection:
Alejandro Figueroa; Elijah Joseph, David Atiba Charles, Nicholson Thomas (Brenton De Leon 74th), William Da Silva; Romauld Aguillera (Clyde Leon 71st), Andre Pacheco (Shane Calderon 56th), Ronaldo Viana, Gefferson Goulart; Andre Toussaint, Earl Jean (capt).
San Juan Jabloteh:
Duarance Williams; Keyeno Thomas (capt), Ian Gray (Dexter Franklyn 12th), Nigel Daniel, Cyd Gray; Trent Noel, Aurtis Whitley, Kerry Baptiste (Devon Mitchell 78th), Josh Johnson; Kerry Noray, Nicholas Addlery (Kevaughn Connell 30th).
