Cyd Gray stuns Joe Public.
...Jabloteh stay top in Big Six.
By: ttproleague.[/size]
World cup defender Cyd Gray netted a 3rd minute header to steer CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh to a 1-0 win over rivals B Mobile Joe Public in round two of the Lucozade Sport Big Six in the first match of a double header at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva.
This is the ‘San Juan Kings’ first victory over League leaders Joe Public for the season after both teams pulled even scores in their last three meetings and Jabloteh are now nestled at the top of the Big Six standings, while the ‘Macoya Men’ have seen their lead in the overall league standings cut to just a one point.
The San Juan based team stamped their authority from as early as the 3rd minute when World Cup defender and Jabloteh captain on the day Cyd Gray headed past goalkeeper Jacomeno Barett from a Kerry Baptiste corner as they took the 1-0 advantage.
Just a couple of minutes later Baptiste combined with Peltier in the 7th minute but the national under-20 player flicked the ball off his head wide of goalkeeper Barett’s upright.
Cyd Gray got close to his double but headed wide from a 21-yard free kick by Kerry Baptiste in the 11th minute.
Five minutes later Gray became villain when he received a booking by referee Lee Davis for a high tackle on Brazilian defender Jorge Da Silva but it was the Macoya based team who started to show early signs of frustration when former national player Arnold Dwarika received the first booking of the match in the 15th minute.
With the match turning into a rough encounter defender Jorge Da Silva was fouled again, but this time by Marcelle Francois who also received a booking in the 20th minute.
Joe Public Midfielder Arnold Dwarika’s free kick produced the ‘Eastern Lions’ first attempt on goal but Wolry Wolfe headed wide of goalkeeper Daurance Williams from the penalty area.
Three minutes later defender Da Silva saw yellow after referee Davis accused him of diving just a couple of yards out of his own penalty area.
For a moment things looked even worse for the Michael Mc Commie coached Joe Public when Peter Prosper headed the ball to the back of goal keeper Barett’s goal in the 26th minute, but it was ruled offside to the relief of the Public fans.
With coach Mc Commie shouting at his men to move forward the ‘Eastern Lions’ managed another attack with Kendall Davis, but the former W Connection player smothered his 18 yard shot wide of the post after going past two defenders in the penalty area in the minute 29.
Joe Public then forced a fingertip save by goalkeeper Williams in the 37th minute when Arnold Dwarika floated the ball at goal from 24 yards out forcing a corner.
Things then went the other way as speedy winger Lester Peltier got the better of defender Lyndon Diaz in the 45th minute, but shot wide of the far post as the first period came to an end with the score remaining 1-0 in favor of Jabloteh.
After hitting the drawing board at the break the Joe Public coach decided he needed goals and introduced Lyndon Andrews, Silas Spann and Gary Glasgow for Arnold Dwarika, Jorge Da Silva and Sean Cooper on the resumption.
But it was the San Juan team who had the early attempt on goal, as goal scorer Cyd Gray headed wide from another Kerry Baptiste corner in the 53rd minute.
The Macoya based team then salvaged a pair of shots in the 62nd minute from substitute Gary Glasgow with the initial shot being blocked by defender Cyd Gray and the follow up well collected by goalkeeper Daurance Williams.
The Jabloteh keeper was called upon again in the 70th minute when he pulled off a spectacular save to deny Wolry Wolfe a goal after defender Abassi Mc Pherson raced down the left flank to send in a low ball across the penalty area.
San Juan Jabloteh then replied on the other end when Akiel Guevara got behind defender Lyndon Diaz and only had Jamaican goal keeper Barett to beat but he squandered it, shooting wide injuring himself in the process and coach Terry Fenwick replaced him with World Cup midfielder Aurtis Whitley a couple of minutes after.
And with just a few minutes to go Joe Public was without Coach Mc Commie as he was ordered to leave the bench for dissent by the fourth official Nigel Roberts in the 86th minute and had to watch from the stands as his team failed to equalize.
The match ended with San Juan Jabloteh still having a good chance at the League title on 56 points just three behind leaders Joe Public and Terry Fenwick’s men firmly fixed at the top of the Lucozade Sport Big Six table with maximum 6 points.
Jabloteh would face cross-town rivals Caledonia AIA in the third round of the Big Six tournament as they look to jump to the top of the League—but before that they have a meeting in the F.A. cup on Wednesday against Joe Public once again.
Teams.
San Juan Jabloteh:[/b] – Daurance Williams, Akiel Guevara (Aurtis Whitley 81st), Lester Peltier, Trent Noel, Kerry Baptiste, Jason Marcano, Ian Gray, Nigel Daniel, Marcelle Francois, Peter Prosper, Cyd Gray.
Goal Scorer – Cyd Gray (3rd)
Coach – Terry Fenwick
Joe Public: – Jacomeno Barett, Dale Saunders (capt), Jorge Da Silva (Silas Spann 46th), Lyndon Diaz, Arnold Dwarika (Lyndon Andrews 46th), Roen Nelson, Abassi Mc Pherson, Wolry Wolfe, Seon Power, Kendall Davis, Sean Cooper (Gary Glasgow 46th).
Coach – Michael Mc Commie
Match Referee – Lee Davis
San Juan Jabloteh v Joe Public
1 Goals 0
3 Shots on Target 6
6 Corners 4
3 Offsides 1
4 Yellow Cards 4
0 Red Cards 0
19 Fouls 17
Jabloteh aiming to take last three titles says Baptiste.
By: Randy Bando (ttproleague).[/size]
CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh and national midfielder Kerry Baptiste is looking forward to a big finish with the San Juan based team, as they are in contention for all the remaining titles up for grabs this season.
Jabloteh are currently leading the Lucozade Sport Big Six after defeating Joe Public 1-0 and recording their 2nd straight Big Six victory. The Terry Fenwick coached unit have also put themselves in a good position on the league standings and are now just three points behind the leaders Joe Public, who they also meet on Wednesday in the opening round of the F.A. Cup.
Baptiste spoke with ‘ttproleague.com’ after his team’s 1-0 win over League leaders Joe Public on Saturday and said, “Right now our confidence is back to full strength with the last two wins and our main aim is to finish top in the Big Six and also the League. I know the team is on a high after this win—our confidence is back and we are looking to take all three titles—the Big Six, the League and the F.A. as the season folds down.”
The experienced Jabloteh player admitted, “Joe Public played us a tough match and we did well to restrict us to just one goal. We learned a lot in this match and although we didn’t win by a big score the coach and the players were pleased.”
“I think we have a pretty good chance of topping the Big Six because we are the only team two register two wins so far and just have three matches to go. It’s just for us to hold our heads and maintain a 100 % record which I know is going to be tough, but we (Jabloteh) are a great team and can pull anything off.”
“We respect all the teams in the Big Six just as they respect us, so I would not like to predict the outcome,” said the national midfielder.
As for the League title, San Juan Jabloteh are just three points behind leaders Joe Public and two short of W Connection and Baptiste believes they stand a good chance to take the league, “We have a good chance of winning the League, that’s our aim, and I feel we have what it takes to pull it off,” claimed Baptiste.
Later this week the ‘San Juan Kings’ would come up against Joe Public for the second time in one week as they face each other in the first round of the FA Trophy Competition with San Juan Jabloteh being the defending F.A. Cup champions after they defated Defence Force 2-1 in the 2005 finals.
Baptiste admits, “This match would be a pretty tough one, after we beat them on Saturday I think they would be coming all out to make up for their loss, but we are going to be tough as well. We are going to defend our F.A. title and it’s going to be hard for any team to beat us,” ended the 2006 Pro Bowl winning captain.
Joe Public feeling Big Six heat.
By: Joel Villafana (ttproleague).
The ‘Eastern Lions’ came into the Lucozade Sport Big Six sitting pretty on top of the standings; the Macoya based team enjoyed a five-point lead at the top of the league standings ahead of 2005 Champions W Connection.
However, after two rounds of the Big Six, Joe Public have seen their lead cut to just one point, as the Michael Mc Commie coached team has failed to win a match in the ‘Big Six’—going under to North East Stars (2-1) and San Juan Jabloteh (1-0), and now the pressure is on, as the league race, as well as the Big Six chase promises to be an intriguing contest right down to the last ball.
The Lucozade Sport Big Six format is unique to the TT Pro League.
The tournament is an innovation that keeps the interest alive in the local football season right down to the final kick.
It also ensures when the TT Pro League champions are crowned—they are very much deserving of the prestigious honour.
To earn the right to be called TT Pro League champions is no fluke—it calls for a compelling desire to overcome all adversities and it is a race where the faint-hearted will find no solace.
It is a format that was agreed to by the League's board of directors and clubs back in 2005.
The Big Six is the final round of the League competition, where only the top six teams battle for supremacy—and while that battle is going on it gives the mid-table teams who mathematically don’t have a chance to win the overall league title, to have a shot at winning the ‘Big Six’ which is a separate competition where a separate points table is generated—so there is no room for relaxing at the finish line.
B mobile Joe Public are currently feeling the heat. Leaders for most of the season, the ‘Eastern Lions’ who returned to the top flight this season seems to be struggling to cope with the intensity of the battle and have seen their five point advantage narrowed to one point.
The ‘Macoya Men’ will have to dig deep if they are to prove worthy of the TT Pro League crown.
The chasing pack are seasoned campaigners and will be coming hard—this augurs well for an enthralling finish to another successful Pro League season.
According to TT Pro League CEO Dexter Skeene, the uniqueness of the format is due in part to the fact that the league composition does not lend it self to a traditional two round format.
"Two rounds of games will not be enough games. So we had to think out of the box. The Big Six from inception has proven very successful. It gives the opportunity to the mid- table teams to have something to play for right down to the end of the season. The top six teams all have an incentive in the final phase of the season, as there is a cash incentive of $3000.00 for each victory registered—local football fans also have their interest peeked to the very end. Whatever happens in a few weeks—one thing is for sure—the 2006 Pro League Champions will have earned that right to stand tall above the rest.
