St Anthony's, Naps scrape through to SSFL 'Big Five'
By: Kern De Freitas (Express).[/size]
"...MOVE over Diego Martin, and let the mighty 'Tigers' pass!"
The home crowd chanted and cheered on St Anthony's College in the second half of their encounter with Diego Martin Secondary at Westmoorings yesterday, as they battled for the BG T&T Secondary Schools Football League North Zone title.
The Tigers did pass, but only just.
Their narrow 2-1 victory was enough to book a spot for St Anthony's opposite Naparima College in the SSFL "Big Five" semi-finals on Wednesday at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain.
Malick Secondary Comprehensive were contenders for the North title going into yesterday's encounter away to Trinity College, but a hard-fought come-from-behind 2-1 win was not near enough to the four-goal cushion they required to sneak in at the line.
Still, Diego Martin could have stolen the glory from the hosts in their encounter, but their lone goalscorer, Kurlan Leid, and two of his teammates missed the target from close range in the closing minutes and St Anthony's sneaked home with a slender victory.
The home side never settled into the match and were pushed back early. After a near escape in the sixth, St Anthony's would have been grateful to Diego Michelangeli, who eluded three defenders but still missed the far post.
In fact, the far post might have been very hard to locate as on at least four more occasions, Diego's strikers shot wide of it.
But the home crowd rose to their feet when Tigers' skipper, defender Uriah Bentick, blasted towards goal in the 13th and the far post defender misjudged the effort, which shot past him.
St Anthony's coach Nigel Grovesnor was livid when a stream of efforts from his team, stemming from constant pressure, all went abegging.
"We have to score them thing, man!" he could be heard chastising his players from the opposite end of the pitch.
Striker Bradley Lawrence obliged in the 38th, banging in Emery Joyeau's pass from close range, after left winger Mekel Williams's pin-point cross.
Diego, with the diminutive but talented Cordell Cato and fellow striker Moriba Ballah, created pressure and but for an alert Kevin Mussio in the Tigers' goal could have caused damage to their opponents' title aspirations.
Leid did in the 66th, collecting in space and squeezing the ball under the advancing Mussio.
The Tigers' supporters held their collective breath as defender Rhondele Allen cleared off the line and then Michelangeli missed an open near post.
The final whistle brought sober celebrations, perhaps as much for the knowledge that one goal could have cost them the title, as well as the thought of the challenge their fickle defence will face against Naparima College, who clinched the South Zone title yesterday despite losing 1-0 to lowly Siparia Secondary.
Naps' closest rivals, Princes Town's "Green Hornets", lost by a similar margin to Presentation College to end their league campaign in disappointing fashion.
Also in the North Zone, Queen's Royal College's sigh of relief may have been heard some distance from their St Clair Avenue, Port of Spain ground, after they eked out a 2-1 victory over Fatima College to escape relegation trouble, their fans celebrating as if they had won the League. Now, from tomorrow, it's on to the Big Five.
North Zone
- St Anthony's 2 (Uriah Bentick; Bradley Lawrence) v Diego Martin 1 (Kurlan Leid)
- Malick 2 (Robert Primus 2) v Trinity 1 (Omari Hall)
- QRC 2 (Keron Doldron [P] 37th; Theon James 75th) v Fatima 1 (Deon Joseph 42nd)
South Zone
- Naparima 0 v Siparia 1 (Kevin Flanders)
- Princes Town 0 v Presentation 1 (Akeem Marshall)
- Vessigny 1 (Marcus Joseph 70th) v Moruga 0
