Last year's Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) premier division winners St Benedict's College and national intercol winners Fatima College will resume their rivalry on Wednesday when they clash in the fifth round of the 2023 season, from 4 pm at Fatima Grounds in Mucurapo.
In the 2022 "Big 4" premier division final, Benedict's got a 3-1 victory over Fatima to get their first national league title in over 50 years. In the inercol final, Fatima got the better of the southerners via a 1-0 margin. Benedict's then got a thrilling 4-3 win over Fatima at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo in the NGC Cup on September 9 to kickstart the 2023 season.
Fatima (12 points) have started the league season much better than their southern counterparts with victories in all four of their matches thus far. They only trail table-toppers Naparima College on the 16-team standings on goal difference.
Fatima have looked assured at the back since conceding four goals in the season-opening NGC match and have kept four consecutive clean sheets.
Benedict's (four points) have had a shaky start to the season and have registered just one win in their four matches.
Fatima will look to put in another solid defensive showing and keep Benedict's at bay.
At Lewis Street in San Fernando, the free-scoring Naparima will aim to maintain their spot atop the table when they host Malick Secondary. Naparima have scored a league-high 29 goals and also boast of the competition's top-scorer, Kanye Francis (six goals).
In the televised match from 3.30 pm, this season's two other unbeaten teams Arima North Secondary (six points) and San Juan North Secondary (12 points) will meet at the Arima Velodrome. Last year, the newly promoted Arima pushed San Juan to the limit in the east zone intercol semi-final, with the latter team prevailing 7-6 in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw in regulation time at the Larry Gomes Stadium in Malabar. At the Velodrome on Wednesday, both schools will put their unbeaten 2023 runs on the line.
Also from 3.30 m, Presentation College San Fernando (seven points) will try to make good on their journey to Tobago when they face Speyside Secondary (six points) at the Speyside Recreation Ground.
The premier division's other Tobago team, Bishop's High School (Tobago), will go after their first points of the season when they take on Queen's Royal College (six points) on Serpentine Road in St Clair. Also on Serpentine Road, north schools St Mary's College and East Mucurapo Secondary will meet at the former school's ground.
Elsewhere, Chaguanas North Secondary (three points) will host St Anthony's College (six points) in Edinburgh 500, Chaguanas, and the cellar-placed Pleasantville Secondary will be seeking their first points of the season when they entertain Trinity College East (one point) at the Yolande Pompey Recreation Ground in Princes Town.
SSFL premier division standings:
Team GP*W*D*L*GF*GA*GD*Pts
1.Naparima 4*4*0*0*29*2*27*12
2.Fatima 4*4*0*0*18*0*18*12
3.San Juan North 4*4*0*0*13*4*9*12
4.Presentation Sando 4*2*1*1*4*2*2*7
5.Malick 4*2*0*2*14*4*10*6
6.Arima North 4*1*3*0*10*3*7*6
7.Speyside 4*2*0*2*6*5*1*6
8.QRC 4*2*0*2*4*5*-1*6
9.St Anthony's 4*2*0*2*5*9*-4*6
10.East Mucurapo 4*2*0*2*3*13*-10*6
11.St Benedict's 4*1*1*2*7*6*1*4
12.St Mary's 4*1*0*3*11*14*-3*3
13.Chaguanas North 4*1*0*3*1*23*-22*3
14.Trinity East 3*0*1*2*2*4*-2*1
15.Bishop's Tobago 3*0*0*3*1*7*-6*0
16.Pleasantville 4*0*0*4*0*27*-27*0
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