DIRECTV W Connection football club will welcome Point Fortin Civic FC for the first time at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva from 8pm on Friday in a Round One Match Day Five 2013-14 Digicel Pro League championship top of the table clash.
Although it’s not the first meeting between the pair this season, Friday’s clash will definitely pool: history, rivalry, emotions and a keen contest.
“For a lot of our supporters, it’s now personal to them when we play against W Connection,” said Point Fortin Civic’s team manager Ken Mc Cree said this week. “Although we had the support from the Point Fortin citizens against Central [on Tuesday], we know that the match against W Connection will really appeal to them.”
Home team and league leaders with maximum 12 points, W Connection—which defeated Civic 6-5 on penalties following a 0-0 draw at the Mahaica Oval in Point Fortin last month in the quarter-final round of the recently concluded First Citizens Cup—are in chase of a regulation time victory, which will extend the Stuart Charles Fevrier coached-club’s one hundred percent winning league-form to five matches.
“I don’t think their (Point Fortin) traveling support with affect us,” said Connection assistant coach Earl Jean. “I urge the people to come out. It’s good for the league and it’s good for the football. I think our players enjoy the atmosphere and big crowd.”
Point Fortin are second on the standings with 9 points from four matches, and are coming off Tuesday’s 3-0 league defeat, in which striker Rundell Winchester picked up all three goals at the Ato Boldon Stadium for the recently crowned First Citizens Cup 2013 champions, Central FC—another Couva based club.
The third positioned Central—unbeaten in all competitions this season—are also in action on Friday at the Couva venue against sixth positioned Police FC from 6pm, and that contest can be an excellent appetizer for the match which follows.
Point Fortin football club is led by head coach Reynold Carrington, a former Connection player and assistant coach, and a number of his players—captain Kelvin Modeste, Andre Toussaint, goalkeeper Marvin Phillip, Andrei Pacheco, Bevon Bass, Lyndon Diaz, Matthew Bartholomew and Weslie John—are former Connection players.
Carrington is also the first professional team captain of W Connection—a club already boasting a rich history since turning pro in 1999.
In September, Mc Cree said that it’s the other way around. He said it is Point Fortin—the deep south Trinidad location known for producing quite a number of talented footballers, even the likes of locally famed ex-Trinidad and Tobago internationals Warren Archibald, Steve David, Leroy De Leon and Carrington, and present Stoke City forward Kenwyne Jones—that have provided Connection with top players in the past.
“It’s a very interesting clash [on Friday] because Reynold Carrington was part a of our club and so are a number of players that’s representing Point Fortin [Civic] now,” added Jean, a former “Savonnetta Boys” teammate of Carrington.
“They know what to expect of our club, so I’m sure it will be a very interesting game.
“It was quite a difficult surface [at the Mahaica Oval] when we first played Point Fortin,” added the ex-St. Lucia international.
“I’m confident that we can do better than the last time. Obviously it will be to our advantage playing on a much better surface such as the Ato Boldon Stadium.”
On Tuesday Connection, just as PFC, had a good feel of the Couva venue, and were 2-0 winners over North East Stars with a goal each by Jerrel Britto and Joevin Jones.
The victory was Connection’s fourth in as many league matches. The best start by a club, usually bucking out of the box in recent seasons gone by.
“We haven’t started this well in a long time,” agreed Jean, a former Connection forward. “And obviously we are quite aware of that. But we want to keep a positive note of it. Our present performances augur well for the future of the club.
“It’s interesting because the other teams are quite confident and playing well and I see this season as a very competitive one.
“It’s now about keeping our feet on the ground. So far our players have been doing well. We have done a good pre-season and are coming off the Concacaf Champions League (group stage) with quality matches under our belt.”
Caledonia AIA have also represented Trinidad and Tobago and by extension the Caribbean at the 2013-14 Concacaf Champions League group stage between August and September, and just as Connection, failed to progress into the knockout stage after finishing at the bottom of their respective groups.
Connection have since then used their CCL outings to domestic advantage, successfully defending their Digicel Charity Shield (in September) and leading the League championship table after four matches.
Meanwhile Caledonia are at a miserable low, winless after 9 matches in all competitions—CCL, First Citizens Cup and the Digicel Pro League—this season.
The Morvant-Laventille club will be in action on Saturday against San Juan Jabloteh from 7pm at the Marvin Lee Stadium. Both teams are coming off defeats, 3-2 and 4-2 respectively, against defending League champions Defence Force and Police FC last Tuesday. In the first match of the Saturday double header at the Macoya venue, Defence Force will meet bottom on the table St. Ann’s Rangers from 5pm.
2013-14 Digicel Pro League
Round One Match Day Five fixtures
Friday 25 October 2013
Ato Boldon Stadium
Central FC vs Police FC—6pm
W Connection vs Point Fortin Civic FC—8pm
Saturday 26 October 2013
Marvin Lee Stadium
Defence Force vs St. Ann’s Rangers—5pm
Caledonia AIA vs San Juan Jabloteh—7pm