Fyzabad make QRC see red
By Kern De Freitas (Express).
Queen’s Royal College may have made it back to top flight football in the BG T&T Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL), but it won’t be a triumphant homecoming.
That’s because the “Royalians” were beaten 3-1 by Fyzabad Secondary in a penalty shoot-out to finish second best in yesterday’s Championship a Division “Big Eight” final at Hasely Crawford Stadium’s training ground in Port of Spain.
Marvin Seuradge rifled the decider high into the right corner of Jadel Poon Lewis’s net to send his team and their fans screaming with delight, while a subdued QRC sank to the turf, perhaps in equal measure of weariness and disappointment, as a hard-fought, balanced contest that remained 0-0 after regulation time ended in a drubbing from the spot.
“Fyzo” coach Brian London, best known in the calypso fraternity for his consistent appearance in the Dimanche Gras Finals--with a best finish of runner-up--and his maiden extempo crown in February, was more sober in his reflection but every bit as satisfied.
London, who also has a degree in sport studies from the University of Trinidad and Tobago, pointed out that his team has been through a lot this season, and only got into the Big Eight via protest.
Once they were here, though, Fyzabad made the best of heir opportunity, getting to the semis, where they whipped fancied team Trinity College 4-1.
Fitness was a big part of his thrust in his second year at the helm, and for London, himself a national former youth player and marathoner, it paid off.
Said London: “Funny enough, we got the team nobody wanted to play...Trinity. We happened to draw them in the semi-finals, and when we beat Trinity 4-1, nobody wanted to play us after that.”
It was a keenly contested match, but the goal scoring chances were few and far between, with most of the battle in midfield. QRC looked a bit more organised, but Fyzabad were solid in defence to ensure a 0-0 halftime scoreline.
But as QRC tired late on in the match, and a few Fyzo players started swooning to cramp, the Southern, dressed predominantly in red, surged looking for the go-ahead goal. They shut it down in the final 15 minutes, but QRC’s attempts to dribble their way into the box forced their opponents into no more than a a couple of nervous glances.
Kicks from the penalty mark were a fitting way to decide the contest, and Fyzabad, kicking second, went 2-0 up after QRC missed from Joash Williams and Dimitry Dunkley.
The Royalians seemed to have given up by their body language, until Fyzabad missed one after T’Shad Selvon had hit the net.
Another QRC error allowed Seuradge to seal it, and Fyzabad a big celebration for their long travels.
Today, St Augustine Secondary’s girls will take on Scarborough Secondary in the girls Big Four finale from 3 p.m., two hours before Championship Big Eight losing semi-finalists face off, both at Hasely Crawford Stadium.
Fyzabad takes Big-Eight title.
T&T Guardian Reports.
Princes Town, Trinity go for promotion spot today
Fyzabad Secondary yesterday lifted the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) Championship Division Big-Eight title, following a penalty shoot-out win over Queen’s Royal College (QRC) following a goalless stalemate.
The South Zone team got the edge by converting three penalty attempts to QRC’s one.
Both teams will be represented in the second Premier Division season, next year, along with one other team - either Princes Town West or Trinity College of Moka.
Those two teams will meet in the Big-Eight third-place playoff, from 5 pm today at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, from 5 pm, in the second match of an SSFL double-header.
Both teams already met in the group stage of the Big-Eight competition with Princes Town taking a 2-1 win.
After topping Group A with all three wins, Princes Town West came up short in the Big-Eight semifinal losing 1-0 to QRC.
Trinity College, the runner-up of Group A lost 4-1 to Fyzabad.
The opening match will see defending league and InterCol champion, St Augustine Secondary face off with Scarborough Secondary in the final of the Girls’ Big-Four competition.
Fixtures
Today—Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo
Girls Big-Four final
St Augustine Secondary v Scarborough Secondary, 3 pm
Boys Championship Big-Eight third-place playoff
Princes Town West v Trinity College (North Zone), 5 pm