The Eastern Lions hold on to the lead.
With: Joel Villafana.[/size]
Phanor Gonzales was the star on the night and had a hand in a goal and
scored one himself, as Joe Public beat United Petrotrin 2-0, as Pro League
action continued on the weekend. It was Public's seventh win in nine matches, taking them to 22 points, one better than North East Stars, who slammed Tobago United 5-0 at the Sangre Grande Recreation Ground, yesterday.
After surviving a few nervous moments in the first 30-minutes, Public took the lead when Gonzalez used his pace to great effect outran two Petrotrin defenders down the right flank and squared the ball to a waiting Roen Nelson, who slotted in the opener.
The Oil-men hardly had time to catch their breath when Gonzalez doubled his team's lead one minute later in the 41st minute. Gonzalez latched on to a through ball and with Petrotrin captain Felix Seales closing in on him, he stretched his right foot fully and struck the ball into the bottom left hand corner of the net to give his team a 2-0 lead at the half.
On the resumption, Petrotrin , who had lost the services of striker Jerol
Forbes in the 27th minute due to a thigh muscle injury, kept out the league leaders from adding to the tally, but the team's strikers Kennedy Hinkson and Beville Joseph also found it difficult to trouble Joe Public goalkeeper, Alejandro Figueroa.
Sangre Grande stars stay in touch.
Midfielder Joseph Peters scored a hat-trick to inspire second placed North
East Stars to a 5-0 win over Tobago United. Peters scored in the 32nd, 68th and 73rd minute, while Vernon Bailey and Leslie Holligan added the others in the one-sided match.
Jabloteh wins 2-0 and stays 3rd.
Fresh off a successful defence of the Courts Pro Bowl, CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh also stayed within striking distance of the top two clubs with a 2-0 win over Neal & Massy Caledonia, in the first match of a double-header at Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella.
Despite the absence of the national players in Aurtis Whitley, Cyd Gray and Anthony Wolfe, Jabloteh coach Terry Fenwick was a happy man after goals from Peter Prosper (fifth minute) and Wendell Joseph (28th) proved enough for victory. Prosper did well to control pinpoint long ball from Lester Peltier and banged it home, while in the 28th minute Wendell Joseph scored a beauty cracking a 30-yarder that beat everyone and crashed into the back of the net.
The second match at Mannie Ramjohn stadium proved to be a thriller, with Superstar Rangers getting a 4-3 win over Starworld Strikers, through a 90th minute winner from Errol Mc Farlane, who had opened the scoring for Rangers in the 20th minute.
Jason Charles made it 2-0 in the 27th minute. Six minutes before the interval, Randolph Jerome pulled one back for Strikers , but Charles restored Rangers two-goal cushion with his second of the match in the 64th minute. Nigel Hart then banged in goals in the 67th and 82nd minute for Strikers to draw level at 3-3.
However, he quickly turned from hero to villain when he was shown a red-card for violent conduct leaving his team to play out the final minutes with ten players. Mc Farlane then added salt to the wounds of the Strikers contingent when he guided the ball home in the final minute of regulation time.
W Connection escapes with 2-1 win.
In the first match at Malabar, W Connection came from a goal down to beat an unlucky Defence Force 2-1. After a less than inspiring first 45 minutes , Defence Force defender Kenrick Saunders got on the end of a Devon Jorsling corner and header past goalkeeper Jan-Michael Williams for a well-deserved 1-0 lead.
Earl Jean replied for W Connection in the 61st minute, hitting home from
close range from a right side ball, while substitute Shane Calderon headed
the winner into an open net after Defence Force goalkeeper, Cleon John,
could only parry a Devon Mitchell shot into his path with two minutes left
in the match.
PFL Results:
Jabloteh 2 v Caledonia AIA Fire 0
North East Stars 5 v Tobago United 0
Superstar Rangers 4 v Starworld Strikers 3
W Connection 2 v Defence Force 1
Joe Public 2 v Petrotrin 0
