There were horns and drums and maybe about 1,000 people. But there was hardly a semi-final feel to the football.
Until Trevaughn James scrambled what could only be a consolation goal with less than a minute left in injury time for Scarborough Secondary, Naparima College had had it easy, easy at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium in yesterday's BG T&T Secondary Schools Football League Big Five semi-final.
Their 2-1 win confirmed the place of the South Zone champions in Saturday's final against St Augustine Secondary Comprehensive of the East Zone.
First half goals by Kern Peters and Renato Ramlochan proved enough to kill off the Scarborough challenge. It was not that the Tobago champions lacked players with ability on the ball. There was evidence enough of that in the quarter-final against Presentation College Chaguanas and glimpses of it again yesterday.
But until quite late, the Scarborough players, seemed unable to play with the necessary urgency; and worse, their defensive game was a shambles.
Quite early, Naps playmaker Kezi Lara could see endless space into which to pass the ball and his mates ran easily into them. On six minutes, midfielder Kern Peters ran into such a channel unmolested on the right side of the 18 metre box, and clinically placed his angled shot past goalkeeper Holson Lovelace, into the bottom left-hand corner of the net.
Ramlochan, was not so free when he received a lobbed ball just after the half hour mark. But he managed to get in front his marker in the centre of the penalty area and impressively whacked a side-footed volley with his left foot past Lovelace. Not a bad way to score your first goal of the season.
The small band of traveling Scarborough supporters had not got much for their money thus far. James had already missed a golden chance, mis-kicking in front of goal after 'Naps' keeper Leston Shade had failed to deal with a left-side cross.
There were Naparima mistakes there to be punished. But the strangely lethargic-looking Scarborough boys just could not apply enough pressure. And as the first half changed into the second, there seemed to be less and less pep in their play. Lara and company were winning virtually every challenge, everywhere almost. But even so, they hardly ever made Lovelace work in the Scarborough goal.
The Naparima drummers even seemed to be lacking energy now. Atmosphere was ebbing away from the game.
Eventually, injury forced Scarborough captain Antonio Balfour out of the match and Keno Kerr--so nippy against Presentation in the quarters, but muted and starved of good service here--was also substituted.
It seemed just a matter of waiting for the final whistle until James' item forced an adjustment in the scoreline. He could not stop Naps' celebrations though.
St Augustine coach Michael Grayson, watching in the stands, would not have been frowning either.