Inspired by a double from Trinidad and Tobago Senior Team recall, Cornell Glen, North East Stars dumped Caledonia AIA with a 3-1 come-from-behind win at the Ato Boldon Stadium in the first match of a rescheduled Round Three Match Day One double header on Wednesday night.
Following the first half, second positioned Caledonia (32 points) would have forced leaders Defence Force (36 points) to prematurely sound the sirens at their Tetron base after the Morvant-Laventille club preserved a 1-0 advantage and a win would have put them one point behind the soldiers which they face on Friday at the Marvin Lee Stadium.
But after enjoying an early Kareem Joseph penalty strike past goalkeeper Cleon John twelve minutes into the match following a hand-ball by a Stars defender inside the area which referee Rodphin Harris awarded the kick, Caledonia failed to find the back of the net again.
The Stars were close to pulling the scores level by the 35th minute from a cheeky set piece in which the initial effort was cleared only as far as Elijah Manners to the right of the six yard area, and his strike was charged down and out by goalkeeper Shemel Louision.
However North East Stars led by a Glen double, found the back of the net a total three times in the second period—surely a sigh of temporary relief for Defence Force.
Glen was credited with the equalizing item in the 54th minute when his crack at goal ricocheted off the upper part of the upright and onto the back of Louision’s head before entering the net for a 1-1 score.
And the T&T striker made no mistake from the penalty spot in the 66th minute by putting his strike out of Louision’s fully stretched body for a 2-1 advantage and his 14th league goal.
Harris awarded the Angus Eve-coach Stars the kick following a sliding Trevin Caesar challenge on substitute Kerry Baptiste inside the six yard area upending the player.
North East Stars then completed its third item ten minutes from time when Gary Glasgow, who replaced Glen four minutes earlier, followed up on Baptiste rebound off the upright to smash the ball into an open net for the 3-1 score.
Caledonia coach Jerry Moe attempted to correct some poor finishing by adding striker Jamal Gay and Vurlon Mills in the mix, six minutes from time, replacing Nathan Lewis and Densill Theobald respectively.
However Caledonia who had a deflected effort just wide from Densill Theobald in the 18th minute, attacker Keyon Edwards also wide of the upright in the 28th minute, failed to get it right.
Early inside the second half period Caledonia had efforts from Nathan Lewis, Caesar and substitute Sheldon Holder who failed to get past North East Stars and T&T goalie, John. And following Glen’s equalizer in the 54th minute, Lewis tried restoring Caledonia’s advantage a couple minutes later with a surging run down the left, however his effort was again tamed by John.
At the final whistle Caledonia, in second, remained four points shy of leaders Defence Force and North East Stars moving up a spot into third with 27 points. DIRECTV W Connection meantime dropped into fourth with 26 points following their 2-2 draw against Central FC in the second rescheduled contest on Wednesday night.
Results
Caledonia AIA 1—3 North East Stars
Kareem Joseph 12’(pen) ; Cornell Glen 54’, 66’(pen), Gary Glasgow 80’
Teams
Caledonia AIA—Shemel Louision, Stephan David (capt.), Nuru Abdullah Muhammad, Aubrey David, Aquil Selby (Yellow Card), Trevin Caesar (Yellow Card), Keyon Edwards, Kareem Joseph, Densill Theobald (Vurlon Mills 84th), Miguel Alejandro Romeo (Sheldon Holder 46th), Nathan Lewis (Jamal Gay 84th).
Coach—Jerry Moe.
North East Stars—Cleon John (capt.), Kareem Moses (Yellow Card), Kevon Villaroel (Jeromie Williams 62nd), Elijah Manners (Kerry Baptiste 59th), Elton John, Cornell Glen (Gary Glasgow 76th), Jayson Joseph (Yellow Card), Kennedy Hinkson, Keryn Navarro, Keithy Simpson, Marcus Gomez (Yellow Card).
Coach—Angus Eve.