Mc Lean still proud of W Connection.
T&T Guardian Reports.[/size]
Vibe CT 105 W Connection’s manager Raymond McLean was proud of his team despite surrendering the T&T Pro League title to B-Mobile Joe Public in the final round of competition.
The ‘Savonetta Boys’ went into the final round of the league, three points behind the Eastern Lions and needed to win by three clear goals in order to retain the crown, but failed by one goal, winning 3-1.
Both teams ended on 65 points, but the Jack Warner-owned club ended with a better goal difference.
“Being champions in 2005 gave us that boost to prove a point again this time around,” McLean told ttproleague.com.
“That’s the reason why we sacrificed the FA quarterfinal game against Police where we rested our players and lost 1-0.
“We wanted to win the FA also, but we had to give our players a proper chance to rest because we really wanted to win the League championship.”
He was philosophical about what could have been termed as a “defeat in victory” on the night.
“God planned it that way and we have to accept the defeat. I want to compliment Joe Public, but I think we should have won since certain decisions went against us. We just have to accept it because we cannot change that now.”
While Connection are known to win several trophies in a season, the T&T Pro League powerhouses only captured the First Citizens Cup this year following their convincing 3-1 win over North East Stars in September.
However, the statistics did not cause McLean to panic since he was confident the South/Central team was capable of playing top quality football and adding more silverware in the trophy case.
“If you check our record, we were finalists in the Courts Pro Bowl, we won the First Citizens Cup, and this game against Joe Public was a virtual final between the two sides.”
“Connection still go on to participate in the Caribbean Club Championships and we also have a chance of bringing that trophy home.”
With the domestic season having come to an end, McLean promised Connection were ready to give of their best in 2007.
“The club’s philosophy is that we want to continue winning trophies. I want to pay special mention to our players for showing true spirit of champions and in my mind they are still champions.”
The former Pro League winners were also deprived of the opportunity to capture the Lucozade Sport ‘Big Six’ crown, which is an extension of the Pro League.
CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh clinched the ‘Big Six’ after getting a 4-1 result in their favour in a must-win game against North East Stars on the night at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
McLean also paid tribute to Connection coach Stuart Charles-Fevrier for his services.
“Stuart is the one of the best coaches I have had the opportunity to work with while holding the portfolio of a manager. He’s one of the best coaches in the Caribbean presently who works very hard for the team,” ended the soft-spoken W Connection manager.
