Joe Public sack Cubans.
...draw 0-0 with W Connection.
By: Ian Prescott (Express).[/size]
Joe Public played out an exciting goalless draw with W Connection yesterday at the Marvin Lee Stadium, but the real story was the dismissal of Cuban head coach Domingo Hernandez and his assistant Manuel Rodriguez, following a surprise 2-0 loss to the Defence Force in mid-week.
Yesterday, Michael McComie, who coached the Eastern Lions to the 2006 T&T Pro League title, took charge of their bench, although at half-time he was ordered to the stands by Pro League officials as he was not registered to coach during the current season.
After the match, McComie said he had responded to an emergency situation at Joe Public.
"The information that I have is that the coaches were relieved of their duties," McComie said. "This morning at 6.30, I received a call from Mr (Jack) Warner, who is in Vancouver right now. In the interim I am just here for three games until the club find a solution to the coach who was here, and the assistant coach as well. At that point in time the board of directors and the chairman will have a press conference and they will say more as to where that is concerned as to the future of the club and who is coming to lead the club."
McComie, who is preparing the Trinidad and Tobago under-23 team for 2008 Olympic Games qualifying in Suriname next week, said the Joe Public stint would not affect his other duties.
"My responsibility right now is to the national under-23 team. Coming back today was not a problem at all. As I have said, I am here for two to three weeks until they get somebody to take over," he added.
The Eastern Lions dominated the first half of yesterday's match against a young W Connection team who were missing several regulars.
Connection, though, still had the best chance of the match, when Tobago striker Kevin Nelson was pulled down by Guyanese defender Abassi McPherson and was awarded a penalty on the stroke of half-time. However, Nelson drilled his shot off the left upright.
McComie thought it was a lucky break for his team.
"It's always a good match when you play W Connection because they play a champions style of football, and Joe Public are also one of the top teams in the country. We were unlucky, I thought we should have scored early in the first half. We were also fortunate when it came to the penalty which came off the post. All and all, it was a hard-fought game. It was more or less even," he said.
Early in the match, Arnold Dwarika was particularly prominent in the Joe Public attack and had Joao Mansano, W Connection's Brazilian keeper, at full stretch to keep out a couple of free-kicks, while Gary Glasgow tested the Connection keeper as well.
W Connection started their first match on the artificial surface using many former youth players such as Kern Cupid, Clyde Leon and Hughton Hector, as well as Jonathan Frias, the Dominican Republic youngster, and Tobago striker Kevin Nelson. Missing were stalwarts Jose Luis Seabra and Gefferson Goulart, both red-carded in the mid-week battle against San Juan Jabloteh. Also out are Sheffield United trialists Jan Michael Williams and Silvio Spann, as well as Andre Toussaint. On the defensive for much of the half, W Connection's best moment fell to Nelson, who turned over a crossball, before missing the penalty two minutes later.
Teams:
Joe Public: — Jacomeno Barrett, Seon Power, Jason Springer, Kayode Mc Kinnon (Kerry Baptiste), Abassi Mc Pherson, Lyndon Diaz (Sean Cooper), Dale Saunders (capt), Arnold Dwarika, Lyndon Andrews (Reon Nelson), Gary Glasgow, Nigel Pierre.
Coach—Michael Mc Comie.
W Connection: — Joao Mansano, Elijah Joseph (capt), Atiba Charles, Clyde Leon, Nickcolson Thomas, Kern Cupid, Ronaldo Viana (Dwight Scott), Hughtun Hector, Christian Viveros, Jonathan Frias (Andrei Pacheco), Kevin Nelson (Earl Jean).
Coach—Stuart Charles Fevrier.
Yesterday's Pro-League Results:
Defence Force 2 (Richard Roy 70th, Devon Jorsling 77th) v Police 0.
United Petrotrin 4 (Peter Prosper 23rd, Marlon Lewis 31st, 81st, Sylvester Teesdale 79th) v Tobago United 0.
Caledonia AIA 1 (Walter Moore 69th) v Superstar Rangers 0.
Joe Public 0 v W Connection 0.
Today's Match:
North East Stars v San Juan Jabloteh, 4 p.m., Sangre Grande
