Jabloteh pip Rangers in Hasely Crawford thriller.
By: Joel Villafana (ttproleague).
CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh emerged victorious after a thrilling encounter at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo on Tuesday evening.
Jabloteh staved off the challenge of a determined Superstar Rangers side to win 3-2 in the second match of a double-header.
The game was always going to be a keen contest with both teams having a lot to prove and a lot to play for on the night.
And with Lester Peltier back in the squad alongside the likes of Jason Marcano, Elton John and Peter Byers, Jabloteh had a potent attack going into the fixture
It was Rangers that opened the shooting however when Christon Thomas opened up from about 25 yards out to force a good save from Daurance Williams in goal for Jabloteh.
Peltier, who is awaiting a work permit that would allow him to play for Portsmouth in the English Premiership, began causing trouble on the left flank almost immediately and won a free-kick for his skill.
Marcano got on the end of Trent Noel’s kick but Shane Mattis was aware to the danger and smothered the effort.
Two minutes later Jabloteh’s persistence would pay off as Byers completed a sweeping passing sequence with a crisp finish to put them up 1-0.
In the very next minute Jabloteh could have gone up 2-0, but for Mattis who produced a great save to tip away Wendell Joseph’s goal bound free kick.
In the 10th Rangers’ Devon Modeste looked sure to score but his finish after a blistering run down the centre of the field was too poor to beat a diving Williams.
Three minutes later Jabloteh put in another from a Nigel Daniel free kick, which found Dwayne Jack’s head in a group of players.
The goal did not kill the contest as often a two-goal advantage does.
Instead, Rangers, led by Kerwin Jemmott in midfield and Errol Mc Farlane up front staged a dramatic comeback.
On the half hour mark Jemmott made some room for himself at the top of the Jabloteh area before blasting a shot goalward.
Williams was unable to hold the ball and Mc Farlane was there to pick up the pieces, slotting the ball into a vacant net.
In the very next minute Devon Modeste bundled his way into Jabloteh area after a mix-up among the defenders and was clear on goal before being clipped from behind.
Mc Farlane tucked the ball away into the left corner of the goal restoring parity, much to the disappointment of the partisan Jabloteh crowd.
Rangers new found confidence was evident in its play but Jabloteh remained resilient, soaking up the pressure and attacking on the counter before the half petered out.
On the resumption Rangers’ Milton Correa Gomez got the first shot off but it would be all Jabloteh for long period thereafter.
Peltier’s footwork and immaculate touch caused no end of worry to the Rangers backline, but it was Byers who would again steal the show.
In the 54th minute the speedy Antiguan carved the Rangers defence apart before squaring for Marcano who only needed the slightest touch to get the ball over the line and into the net.
Rangers enterprising play kept them in the game but they needed a goal and this was a luxury that Jabloteh’s sturdy defence was not prepared to afford them.
In the 68th Jabloteh could have doubled their advantage once again but the goal frame denied Noel whose free-kick beat Mattis but not the crossbar.
Disaster followed soon after for Noel as he picked up his second yellow card for a rash tackle on Jemmott. But 10 man Jabloteh was able to hold on to the final whistle despite the best efforts of their opponents.
Man of the Match: Peter Byers (Jabloteh)
San Juan Jabloteh: - Daurance Williams (GK), Dwayne Jack, Trent Noel, Wendell Joseph (Cyd Gray 80th), Elton John, Jason Marcano (Khaleem Hyland 88th), Peter Byers, Nigel Daniel, Lester Peltier (Devon Jamerson 86th)
Coach: Terry Fenwick
Superstar Rangers: - Shane Mattis (GK), Lorne Joseph (Leebeen Mc Gregor 21st), Kerwin Jemmott, Devon Modeste (Jevon Morris 76th), Marc Borde, Joseph Peters, Todd Ryan, Milton Correa Gomez, Christon Thomas, Marvin James, Errol Mc Farlane (Shem Mc Farlane 81st).
Coach: Anthony Streete
Jabloteh v Superstar Rangers
3 Goals 2
9 Shots on Target 8
8 Corners 4
3 Offsides 2
3 Yellow Cards 2
1 Red Cards 0
25 Fouls 14
Oilmen put the skid on Caledonia's aspirations.
By:" James Saunders (ttproleague).[/size]
A costly lapse in concentration by Caledonia AIA was enough for them to concede two goals in a minute and fall to their first loss of the season going down 2-0 to United Petrotrin at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium.
Lightning quick strikes by Slyvester Teesdale and Kelvin Hernandez ended what had been a horrid start to the season for the Southerners who had only two points after three matches including a 0-0 draw against cellar team Tobago United.
On the other hand Jamal Shabazzs’ men were hoping for a victory that would have certainly solidified there place among the early leaders however they got more than they bargained for when they found themselves 2-0 behind after 25 minutes.
Teesdale was picked out beautifully by a looping Kevon Clement centre from the left and made no mistake heading home to open his sides account in the 24th minute.
Immediately after the kickoff ‘The Stallions’ found themselves staring at a huge deficit when a nice Petrotrin through ball found the feet of Hernandez who poked past Richard Reynolds in goal for Caledonia to give the ‘Oilmen’ an insurmountable 2-0 lead.
Earlier Jerrol Forbes could have opened the scoring in the highly competitive opening period when he out sprinted the Caledonia defence but it was not to be as his shot from a tight angle was easily gathered by Reynolds.
Jamal Shabazz’s men got a glimmer of hope in the 29th when Petrotrin’s goalkeeper Perry Martin was caught in no-man’s land chasing a ball too far out his goal area, however Caledonia failed to capitalize as Hayden Tinto’s centre failed to find the head of a teammate and was cleared away.
Tinto would again stir up optimism in his camp when his blast from the top of the area forced a good save from Martin.
Caledonia with inspiration from their man of the match and captain Sheldon Emanuel, Hayden Tinto and Nigel Codrington as they pressed hard on the home team in search of something but with nervy moments and some streaky clearances and the Oilmen managed to survive the half.
After the break the ‘Men from Morvant’ team picked up where they left off and defender Charles Pollard was unfortunate to see his header from a right-side corner go straight at keeper Martin after he made a good run into the box in the 49th minute.
In the 56th minute after a good build up Codrington taught he had brought his team back into the contest when he planted his head sweetly unto a right-sided Tinto cross, however the Guyanese striker was dumbstruck to see his effort spectacularly pushed over the bar by Martin.
Caledonia could have sealed there own fate in the 67th when Pollard attempting to clear a low cross spliced the ball back at his own goal, luckily his goalkeeper alertly tipped his blunder overbar to save him any blushes.
The last minute of the game saw some good end to end action as first Caledonia keeper had to make an excellent diving save to his right to deny Simeon Augustus’s drive after a good run on the right to preserve the score-line, then Martin did well on the other end to snuff out a last gasp Dwight Peters shot after he did well to dribble into the area. There was however no consolation for the visitors as United Petrotrin walked proudly away with their first three points of the season.
Final Score: Petrotrin 2 v Caledonia 0
Goalscorers: Sylvester Teesdale 24th, Kevon Clement 25th (Petrotrin)
Man of the Match: Sheldon Emanuel (Caledonia)
Match Referee: Jaggernauth Goolcharan
Petrotrin: - Perry Martin, Simeon Augustus, Devon Drayton (Al Sinclair), Kevon Clement, Romauld Aguillera, Kelvin Hernandez (Larry Bachus), Keon Daniel, Sylvester Teesdale, Husani Thomas, Anthony Haynes, Jerol Forbes (Abiola Clarence).
Coach: Brian Williams
Caledonia AIA: - Reynold Richards, Leslie Holligan, Charles Pollard, Sheldon Emanuel, Walter Moore, Stephan David, Marvin Oliver, Abdallah Phillips (Dwight Peters), Densill Theobald (Devon Millington), Nigel Cordrington, Hayden Tinto (Kareem Joseph).
Coach: Jamal Shabazz
United Petrotrin v Caledonia AIA
2 Goals 0
6 Shots on Target 4
20 Fouls 14
2 Yellow Cards 0
0 Red Cards 0
2 Corners 10
0 Offsides 1
Joe Public whip Police 3-1 to eastablish early lead.
By: Vinod Narwani (ttproleague).[/color][/size]
Defending champions Joe Public hammered debutants Police 3-1 at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar, on Tuesday as they set the early pace in the 2007 TT Pro League.
The ‘Eastern Lions’ were fired up from the start as Carey Harris took a shot at goal in the second minute, but Police custodian Anthony Marshall was able to hold on to the ball.
The defending champs got the opening item six minutes later when Gregory Richardson made a pass across the goal from the left flank and Nigel Pierre hit home for a 1-0 lead.
Police were given a free kick in the 32nd minute and Kurt Danclair sent the ball across only to see his teammate’s shot saved by Eastern Lions goalie Alejandro Figueroa.
Joe Public kept pressing for the insurance goal by fighting for the ball, and with three minutes left in the first half Kerry Baptiste hit over the top.
The ‘Lawmen’ nearly got the equalizer in the 45th minute when Kenwin Matthew received a through ball from Kaaron Foster.
However, when Matthew was one-on-one with the keeper, the Eastern Lions custodian prevented the debutants from scoring.
Joe Public knew it was not going to be an easy game as the players headed back into the dressing room to take a 15-minute break.
The lead was doubled as Joe Public applied the pressure, the ball eventually getting to Dale Saunders who was outside the box, collected and slammed it brilliantly towards the far right corner, giving Marshall absolutely no chance. It was 2-0 after 50 minutes.
The men from Macoya found the net 10 minutes later again after Pierre sent a ball from the right flank and Gary Glasgow hit it in. It was, however, disallowed for offside.
Police, in the meantime, were not ready to be bullied as Kieon Wilson received a ball inside the box, jumped for it and headed the ball into the back of the onion bag to cut the lead in half after 61 minutes.
But the Eastern Lions sealed the deal five minutes later when substitute Dexter Thornhill scored a gem of an item.
He made a run on the left, cut inside the box and slotted the ball past the keeper for a 3-1 lead. That’s how it ended to the delight of technical director Keith Look Loy and his men.
Man-of-the-match – Dale Saunders
Joe Public: - Alejandro Figueroa (GK), Anthony Noreiga, Carey Harris, Dale Saunders (captain), Gary Glasgow, Kayode McKinnon, Abassi McPherson, Kerry Baptiste (Jason Springer), Nigel Pierre (Dexter Thornhill), Seon Power, Gregory Richardson (Sean Cooper).
Technical Director – Keith Look Loy
Police FC: Anthony Marshall (GK), Grayson Edwards, Kieron Archie, New Hinds, Noel Williams, Neri Joseph (Chistopher Sam), Curt Danclair (Devon Bristol), Sean McClashie, Kieon Wilson, Kenwin Matthew.
Coach: Michael Maurice.
Referee: Julien Drayton
Joe Public v Police FC
3 Goals 1
5 Shots on Target 2
2 Corners 7
7 Offsides 1
1 Yellow Cards 2
0 Red Cards 0
10 Fouls 11
Stars & Connection shoot blanks in a goalless draw.
By: Randy Bando (ttproleague).[/size]
An entertaining performance by Economy North East Stars only resulted in an unsatisfying goalless finish against Vibe CT 105 W Connection at the Larry Gomes Stadium on Tuesday.
It was a operation recovery as both teams tried to bounce back from their previous losses over the weekend.
In the early stages of the match both W Connection and North East Stars played according to the cool weekday afternoon conditions
However the ‘Grande Stars’ was the first to have a go on goal, but Andre Charles’ 25 yard effort sailed over bar in the 17th minute.
Two minutes later W Connection suffered a dent in their backline as experienced defender Elijah Joseph pulled up with a muscle cramp and was forced off the field and he had to be replaced by Jerron Johnson.
By the 20th minute mark it was the ‘Grande Stars’ who stepped on the gas and bombarded the Connection half.
Connection’s Christian Viveros had to come up trump to block Randolph Jerome’s close range effort and one minute later in the 21st Kendall Jagdeosingh tested goalkeeper Jan Michael Williams from distance but his 22-yard blast flew safely into the national goalkeeper’s hands.
Soon afterwards Connection was gifted an opportunity by goalkeeper Curtis Granger after he awkwardly cleared the ball to Andre Toussaint in front of his area, but he was quick to recover snatching the ball low from the player’s feet.
A strong counter attack by the Sangre Grande team was matched by goalkeeper Williams who came up big to block Andre Charles shot at point blank in the 24th.
North East Stars Randolph Jerome and Kendall Jagdeosingh then failed on their half chances after hustling the Connection defence as the southerners found difficulty adapting to the surprise performance from their opponents.
Both teams then bowed to the dressing rooms at the half, goalless with North East Stars feeling the brunt of it after their excellent performance and missing out their 43rd opportunity when Dexter Franklyn fumbled the ball away from the Connection goal line.
Shortly after the break both coaches tried to change their fortunes as they pulled for aces making early second half substitutions.
Coach Stuart Charles Fevrier introduced Andrei Pacheco who has been on the sidelines for a bit with a hernia injury as he looked for a desperate change in midfield replacing Jose Louis Seabra, while
Coach James Mc Lean pulled Marc Leslie off introducing defender Shervin Charles.
It was frustration day for the ‘Savonetta Boys’ as North East Stars skipper Glenton Wolfe marshaled his defence well working the offside trap like clockwork and making things difficult for Earl Jean and his men.
Things got worse for the Caribbean champions as chances kept going astray, this time it was Hughton Hector that spilled the ball wide with the goal at his mercy in the 71st minute after Andre Toussaint’s brilliance provided the opportunity.
With a strong response North East substitute Carlon Hughes stung one wide of goal keeper Williams upright.
Shortly afterwards North East goal keeper Granger pulled off his player of the match performance denying Toussaint a go at goal on two occasions to the disbelief of the Connection fans.
North East also had their fair share of misfortunes when both Jerome and Jagdeosingh miss-kicked in front of the Connection goal after substitutes Shervin Charles and Carlon Hughes created the 77th minute opportunity.
W Connection substitute Andrei Pacheco also got in the mix mustering a shot from outside the area, but goal keeper Granger was up to par in extra time to tip the ball wide and maintain a clean sheet.
And finally in the dying stages of the match goal keeper Williams ended off the goalless match with a save to deny Shervin Charles at close range as both teams retired with just one point each and a lot to think about.
Man of the Match—Curtis Granger (North East Stars)
North East Stars: - Curtis Granger (GK), Glenton Wolfe (Capt.), Andre Charles (Carlon Hughes 59th), Dexter Franklyn, Kendall Jagdeosingh, Keryn Navarro, Keston Pierre, Kendall Velox, Marc Leslie (Shervin Charles 55th), Marlon Stoute, Randolph Jerome (Akeil Guevara 86th).
Coach—James Mc Lean
W Connection: - Jan Michael Williams (GK), Earl Jean (capt), Elijah Joseph (Jerron Johnson 22nd), Jose Luiz Seabra (Andrei Pacheco 50th), Clyde Leon, Andre Toussaint, Gefferson Goulart, Nickcolson Thomas, Hughton Hector (Shane Calderon 86th), Douglas Da Costa, Christian Viveros.
Coach—Stuart Charles Fevrier
Match Referee—Phillip Jordan
North East Stars v W Connection
0 Goals 0
3 Shots on Target 2
0 Offsides 9
4 Corners 6
15 Fouls 18
3 Yellow Cards 1
0 Red Cards 0
