Rangers, North/East score 2-1 victories.
By: Joel Bailey (Newsday).
St Ann’s Rangers moved into fifth spot on the Pro League standings with a 2-1 triumph over Caledonia AIA in Saturday night’s Round Two Match Day Seven battle at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Tunapuna. Rangers have a tally of 24 points, the same as the “Eastern Lions” Joe Public, put the St Ann’s outfit have a superior goal-difference of plus-10 compared to Joe Public’s plus-five.
Defensive midfielder Joseph “Gouti” Peters put Rangers in front after seven minutes of action, while Devon Modeste doubled the score in the 14th, capitalising on a defensive mix-up by Caledonia and driving his right-footer, via the fingertips of goalkeeper Michael Woods, into the back of the net.
Caledonia suffered another set-back when their Guyanese striker Nigel Codrington had to be replaced by ex-national midfielder/forward Conrad Smith in the 19th minute, due to a leg injury.
On a counter-attack by Rangers, captain Josimar Belgrave picked out Modeste who got behind defender Kester Jacobs but an alert Woods tipped his shot overbar, while Caledonia’s first chance at goal occurred nine minutes later (40th), when Guyanese midfielder Walter Moore got around Rangers’ right-back Elijah Belgrave but scuffed his left-footed attempt.
Peters almost had a second goal before half-time, as he muscled his way past the AIA back-line, but his right-footer was blocked by Woods. National midfielder Densill Theobald, who had a sub-par match, pulled one back for Caledonia a minute into the second half, drilling a right- footer beyond Rangers’ Jamaican keeper Shane Mattis after the defence failed to clear a left-sided centre from St Vincent’s attacker Kendall Velox.
The hard-working Velox, in the 52nd, got a through-ball from Smith but Mattis thwarted his effort, while Josimar Belgrave, on the other end (58th), failed to connect on a pass, across the face of goal, by Shane Rennie.
Things got a bit heated in the 62nd, as Smith and defender Jevon Morris, in a challenge, exchanged elbows and kicks, and both were promptly given marching orders by referee Gordon Maloney. Caledonia missed two late chances to share the points, the first moment was in the 82nd as Velox received a left-sided ball from Moore and squared to substitute Hayden Tinto, who, in turn, shot straight at Mattis.
And, in stoppage time, following a right-sided corner, Theobald fed Guyanese defender Howard Lowe who, in turn, picked out sub Akim Armstrong, but Armstrong’s shot was cleared off the line by defender Marvin James.
At the Palo Seco Recreation Ground, North East Stars earned a come- from-behind 2-1 victory over hosts United Petrotrin. Petrotrin went ahead courtesy of an own goal in the 37th minute before North East’s captain and national midfielder Anthony Wolfe responded with a strike three minutes later. And the Sangre Grande-based team secured full points when their hard-working midfielder Marc Leslie notched the winner in the 65th.
Saturday’s torrential showers, coupled with a waterlogged field at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Arima, forced the cancellation of the double- header between leaders CLICO San Juan Jabloteh and Ma Pau, as well as the showdown between W Connection and Tobago United.
The Jabloteh-Ma Pau match, as well as the Rangers-Caledonia contest, were originally carded to be a double-header at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo. But the outfield at the Hasely Crawford Stadium is currently under maintenance, ahead of the September 6 FIFA World Cup qualifier between Trinidad and Tobago and Guatemala.
