Police FC recorded the biggest win of the 2023/24 T&T Premier Football League (TTPFL) season at the St James Police Barracks on Sunday night, as they hammered Prisons FC 7-0.
The victory lifted Police to second on the 11-team table with eight points.
Prisons started the season with back-to-back wins against Central FC and Eagles FC (formerly Cunupia FC), but they have hit a stumbling block with consecutive losses against their fellow servicemen – Defence Force and Police.
Prisons showed glimpses of their neat passing game in the early stages, and fashioned a chance in the eight minute through striker Ricardo John. However, once Police opened the scoring in the 16th minute via a right-footed volley from man-of-the-match Keron Cummings, the floodgates opened.
Cummings and fellow playmaker Joevin Jones were given freedom in midfield, and they made Prisons pay a heavy price. Barring a smart save from a swerving Alvin Jones free kick in the 14th minute, Prisons goalie Kelvin Henry had a rough outing as he conceded four goals in the first half before being substituted at halftime.
In the 24th minute, after Henry sloppily conceded a corner, Police went 2-0 up as Mekeil Williams sent a precise header to the far corner. With the Prisons players collectively dropping their shoulders, Police put the game to bed with a pair of goals within the space of 60 seconds.
In the 33rd minute, Joevin buried a left-footed shot from just outside the area, with striker Willis Plaza finishing off a sweeping Police raid down the left flank mere seconds later to make it 4-0 at the half.
Similar to the first half, Prisons showed flashes of their quality early in the second period as their lively winger Jeremiah Vidale banged a left-footed shot off the bar in the 53rd minute, after a nifty move in the area. That would be the closest Prisons came to a consolation goal, as Police oozed confidence in their possession game and showed no mercy for their counterparts.
The in-form Alvin made it 5-0 in the 73rd minute as he calmly converted a penalty after a handball in the area by Prisons defender Seon Thomas. Two minutes later, the evergreen Anthony Wolfe, 39, came off the Police bench to score his team's sixth goal as he beat substitute keeper Kahlil Oliver with a shot into the bottom corner.
The Police riot was fittingly rounded off by Cummings in the 82nd minute, as he headed in from close range following a short corner from Jabari Mitchell.
Through four matches, Police remain undefeated and are a solitary point behind table-toppers AC PoS (nine points). Defending champions Defence Force are third on seven points. Prisons (six points) have dropped to sixth spot.
On Wednesday, Police will visit fourth-placed Tiger Tanks Club Sando (seven points) at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella, with Prisons hosting 1976 FC Phoenix (three points) at the Arima Velodrome.
SOURCE: T&T Newsday
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