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Army chases league title for fallen soldiers

Despite failing to defend its Lucozade Sport Goal Shield (LSGS) title last Friday in the 2014 Final against bitter Couva rivals Central FC, and are not yet guaranteed the 2013/2014 Digicel Pro League, with three games left, W Connection maintains a positive attitude.

 Connection (45 points) leads the league standings by one point, ahead of the second positioned and defending champions Defence Force (44 points), and must combat the army/coastguard combination back to back within a space of five days.

On Friday 2 May in a rescheduled Round Two Match Day Eight fixture at the Ato Boldon Stadium, W Connection are against Defence Force from 8 pm, preceding the 2014 Digicel Pro Bowl qualifying contest between bottom end San Juan Jabloteh and St. Ann’s Rangers, which kicks off from 6 pm at the Couva venue.

Then on Tuesday 6 May, the “Savonnetta Boys”, who once held a dominating 15-point lead this season, and the defending champs Defence Force will meet face to face again from 8 pm at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Round Three Match Day Eight as the race to the million-dollar title nears the end.

Connection will later wrap up its league campaign on May 13 against Caledonia AIA, while Defence Force, are against San Juan Jabloteh.

Following his team’s 2-1 defeat against the LSGS champions at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Connection assistant coach Earl Jean said, “You all know W Connection. We are always out to win everything, and when we lose one, we want to win the other.

“We are positive as ever,” he assured. “We have that spirituality in us.

“We always have the confidence that we can win the next game. We’ve lost this (LSGS) Final but in the dressing room we will have our players positive again.

“We have three games … [treating them as] three finals, and we want to win all. So we are as positive. And we have one more trophy – Digicel Pro Bowl – (to play for) and we will bring it home, don’t worry."

Connection, the 2005 and 2011/2012 Pro League champions, and Defence Force, winners in 2010/2011 and 2012/2013, have met just once this season. That contest ended in a 1-1 tie in Round One in January.

Back then the now deceased winger Kevon Carter, with an assist by Devorn Jorsling, scored the equaliser for Army after Jerrel Britto had Connection in front early in the second half.

Assistant coach Marvin Gordon, who stood in charge of that encounter against Connection, in the absence of head coach Ross Russell, said winning this season’s league title will be the honorable thing to do for fallen soldiers Rawle Fletcher and Carter.

“When Kevon passed away the focus wasn’t just to try and win the title,” said Gordon. “It is about winning the league for Kevon and of course Rawle, and we are trying every thing for the league.”

Both Defence Force Lance Corporals, Fletcher, aged 34, was murdered on December 22, and Carter, aged 30, a former Trinidad and Tobago international died of a heart attack on February 28 after complaining of chest pains following a training session in Marqueripe, Chaguaramas.

With nine straight league wins and within a point of Connection ahead of Friday’s all-important contest, it is a clear reflection of the players’ commitment to the Defence Force football club, their coaches, and fallen soldiers Fletcher and Carter. 

“I think the guys have done well so far,” continued Gordon. “The mood in the camp in great. We are taking it one game at a time.

“We are confident in achieving the goal tomorrow against Connection. It’s a Final for us. They (Connection) are a good team, no doubt, but we saw one or two things in their (LSGS) Final against Central that we can exploit against them.”

Gordon revealed that Jorsling, returning from a hamstring injury, would be named in Friday’s 18-man squad, although the 30-year-old, who returned to training this week, isn’t one hundred percent fit.

Likely to start is 27-year-old attacker Josimar Belgrave, coming off a hattrick scored against Caledonia AIA in a 4-0 win a week ago. The former St. Ann’s Rangers forward has 11 league goals this season, two goals more than Jorsling.

“We must remember that Josh used to naturally carry Rangers on his back,” explained Gordon. “Scoring isn’t anything new to him. It’s just that his role at Army is a bit limited with the more seasoned forwards playing ahead of him. But every time we call upon him to lead he has done well.”

2014 Digicel Pro Bowl Qualifier

Friday 2 May

San Juan Jabloteh vs St. Ann’s Rangers—6 pm, Ato Boldon Stadium

2013/2014 Digicel Pro League Rescheduled Round Two Match Day Eight fixture

Friday 2 May

W Connection vs Defence Force—8 pm, Ato Boldon Stadium

Round Three Match Day Eight

Tuesday 6 May

Central FC vs San Juan Jabloteh—6 pm, Ato Boldon Stadium
Defence Force vs W Connection—8 pm, Ato Boldon Stadium

North East Stars vs St. Ann’s Rangers—7 pm, Hasely Crawford Stadium
Caledonia AIA vs Point Fortin Civic—9 pm, Hasely Crawford Stadium