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W Connection targets tenth straight win
Nigel Simon (T&T Guardian)
Three-time Digicel T&T Pro League champions, DirecTV W Connection will be confident of maintaining its nine-point lead at the top of the table when it faces cellar-placed St Ann’s Rangers at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva from 7pm, in one of two matches carded for today.
The other match will see North East Stars and Caledonia AIA, second and sixth on the table respectively, but only separated by a point, squaring off at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, also from 7pm.
The “Savonetta Boys” as the David John-Williams owned W Connection are known, are in the midst of celebrating 15 years as a professional football club and having blasted the youthful Rangers line-up, 7-0 in their first round encounter will be heavily fancied for another win, if not by the same margin to add to their festive mood.
The Stuart Charles-Fevrier coached W Connection is also coming off a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Police, in a top-of-the-table clash a week ago and will be no doubt confident of extending their unbeaten league run of nine matches, for 23 points.
Rangers, meanwhile are coming off a 1-0 loss to San Juan Jabloteh and despite being heavy underdogs will be buoyed by the fact that they hope to be the first team to hand W Connection a league loss.
Down at Mucurapo, Stars, with 14 points, will also be eager to repeat its first round 3-0 win over Caledonia AIA, (one of four teams on 13 points) as it looks to cement a hold on second spot.
While the Angus Eve-coached Stars are coming off a 0-0 away draw to Pt Fortin Civic, a worrying sign for the former national captain is a lack of productivity in front of goal since the departure of ex-T&T striker Cornell Glen for India.
In fact, in their last six matches, Stars has only managed to score three goals, with its biggest wins of the league campaign coming against defending champions Defence Force, 3-1 back on the third day of matches in round one and a 3-0 blanking of Caledonia in the opening round.
While Eve is expected to have a full squad to choose from, Jamaal Shabazz, the long serving of Caledonia which ended second last year, will be without the services of captain and defensive midfielder Stephan David due to yellow card accumulations.
Tomorrow, the Richard Hood-coached Police, which is enjoying its best league run for almost a decade will journey to deep south for a 3.30 pm meeting with Pt Fortin Civic FC.
Police slipped one spot to third with 13 points after a 2-1 loss to W Connection last week and depending of the outcome of the Caledonia and Stars match, will have a chance to reclaim second spot against the struggling Pt Fortin Civic, which after starting the season with three straight league wins, have gone winless in its next six matches, with the 0-0 draw against Stars being its best result.
The other match between Defence Force and Central FC had to be rescheduled to a later day because of work duties for the “Teteron Boys”.
In a media statement on Friday, civil military affairs officer Major Al Alexander advised that “with immediate effect, all T&T Defence Force’s involvement in national, regional and community type/level sporting activities is suspended in favour of the operational exigencies of the service and because of the particular requirements that our personnel are expected to satisfy.
“This self-imposed suspension will last as long as is deemed necessary by the Force.”
Alexander later added that the move was taken to “lend support to the Police in the fight against crime.”
Today’s matches
W Connection vs St Ann’s Rangers, Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva, 7 pm
North East Stars vs Caledonia, Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, 7 pm
Tomorrow:
Pt Fortin Civic vs Police, Mahaica Oval, Pt Fortin, 3.30 pm
Current T&T Pro League standings
Teams P W D L F A Pts
W Connection 9 7 2 0 19 4 23
N/East Stars 9 4 2 3 9 6 14
Police 9 4 1 4 15 13 13
Defence Force 8 4 1 3 15 14 13
Caledonia 9 3 4 2 16 11 13
Central FC 9 3 4 2 13 11 13
Jabloteh 9 3 1 5 16 21 10
Pt Fortin CC 9 3 1 5 9 14 10
Rangers 9 1 0 8 11 29 3
Top versus bottom in Pro League
T&T Newsday
IT WILL be a clash of the top and bottom-placed teams in the Digicel Pro League today when W Connection oppose St Ann’s Rangers in a Round Two Match Day Two fixture at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva.
Connection, the only unbeaten team remaining in the nine-team competition, have 23 points from nine games, while Rangers have only three points (and a win) after a similar amount of matches.
This game will begin at 7 pm while, simultaneously, North East Stars and Caledonia AIA, the second and third-placed teams, will square off at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo.
And, on Saturday, Point Fortin Civic FC will oppose Police at the Mahaica Oval from 3.30 pm.
However, the Defence Force-Central FC game, which was originally slated to take place at Mucurapo tomorrow, has been rescheduled to a later date, while San Juan Jabloteh are on a bye.
