Ricardo John and Jason Marcano each scored a hat-trick on Friday night as two-time consecutive Caribbean Football Union (CFU) and Digicel Pro League (DPL) champions Central FC whipped cellar-placed St. Ann’s Rangers 7-0 at the Ato Boldon Stadium in their final league game of the 2015-16 campaign.
The 21-year-old Trinidad and Tobago Under-23 player, John, bagged his professional trick, uninterrupted, before setting up the first of Marcano’s three as the “Couva Sharks” signed off in style.
The result eclipsed a 5-2 win enjoyed by rivals W Connection over Club Sando in the earlier game of the Couva double-header in which 20-year-old St. Lucia forward Malik St. Prix and 34-year-old overlooked Trinidad and Tobago international Andre Toussaint both scored twice for the “Savonetta Boys”.
Central, who retained the league trophy with two games to spare this season, finished campaign with 58 points, an 18-4-5 record from their 27 games, and a superior +47 goal-difference.
While Connection moved up a spot into third on the DPL standings with 49 points and a 14-7-6 record but only one point ahead of Defence Force (48 points) who face Morvant Caledonia United in their final league game on Saturday from 4pm at the Larry Gomes Stadium, following which the Army/Coast Guard combination will clash with the “Savonetta Boys” on May 27 in the season finale Digicel Pro Bowl 2016 final.
Connection had led 1-0 after just eight minutes when St. Prix knocked in a cross from close range, but the “Savonetta Boys” needed another strike from the St. Lucian to return to level terms after Kevon Woodley, in the 22nd-minute, and Akeem Humphrey, seven minutes before the break, scored to give Sando a 2-1 lead at the break.
Sando, though, should have enjoyed bigger advantage into the break had striker Woodley – recently off a lengthy layoff due to a fractured toe – not hit the frame inside the first 15 minutes and strike-partner Devon Modeste not direct a penalty strike at Connection second choice goalkeeper Terrence Lewis five minutes from the half.
Those chances would haunt Sando when St. Prix levelled Connection 2-2 by lifting Panamanian Paolo De La Guardia’s well-worked cross beyond goalkeeper Kelvin Henry twelve minutes inside the second half to reach his double.
But St. Prix missed out on his hat-trick in the 72th-minute when he struck wide of an exposed net following a cross from Suriname international Dimitrie Apai.
Apai had earlier returned Connection’s lead for the first time since the eighth-minute for a 3-2 advantage after beating defender Corneal Thomas to an Aikim Andrews cross which he directed into goal in the 68th-minute against the Sando side, who had already consolidated their league debut season seventh-place finish.
Andrews, the 19-year-old T&T winger, produced two more deliveries, from dead-ball situations, scored by substitute Toussaint for the 5-2 Connection finish ahead of next Friday’s Pro Bowl final against Defence Force.
Toussaint headed in from close up at the back post off an Andrews corner in the 79th-minute and completed his double with another header in the 83th-minute after beating the Sando defence to an Andrews free-kick.
Surely, a satisfying result for coach Stuart Charles-Fevrier who will again be without six of his regulars – Hughtun Hector, Jomal Williams, Shahdon Winchester, Daneil Cyrus, Tristan Hodge and Alvin Jones who are currently with the T&T national team for upcoming away friendlies against Peru, Uruguay and China – when Connection meets Defence Force in an attempt for a third knockout title this season after capturing the First Citizens Cup and Toyota Classic trophies.
However Central, the full-of-pride Caribbean and Pro League champions, stole the headlines by eclipsing their rivals performance.
Ricardo John was celebrating his hat-trick by the hour mark after converting a penalty past Rangers goalie Stefan Berkeley for a 3-0 “Couva Sharks” lead after midfielder Darren Mitchell was barged to ground inside the area by defender Shakiyl Phillip.
The lanky powerful former United States’ Virginia Tech player grabbed his first goal on the night when he towered defender Ricardo Williams in the 14th-minute to head Central in front 1-0 off a Jem Gordon cross.
And it was from another header three minutes inside the second period that John snatched his second goal following a Marcano cross for a 2-0 score.
John later returned the favour at the end of a flowing Central move, allowing for a simple tap in by Marcano for a 4-0 advantage in the 63rd minute.
Marcano made it 5-0 by blasting past Berkeley three minutes later for his second goal in a follow-up play after Gordon’s strike had crashed off the upright.
Rangers, who have been credited by their improved play under this season’s coach Angus Eve, were twice denied by the frame with Kevon Piper rattled the upright from a 25-yard free-kick in the 39th-minute and Anselm “Worm” Jackson curling a strike onto the crossbar four minutes later, but were no match for their opponents.
And to add salt to the wounds of the St. Ann’s club, former Rangers player Kadeem Corbin fired in the “Sharks”’ sixth goal in the 84th-minute before Marcano wrapped up the 7-0 scoring in the 90th-minute, beating Berkeley at the near post from close range.
Rangers finished at the bottom with 14 points—their best points tally in the last four seasons, while Central, who have qualified for the 2017 CFU Club Championship – the qualifier tournament to the CONCACAF Champions League – by finishing at the top will return to play in August in the 2016-17 CONCACAF Champions League group stage along with W Connection.
San Juan Jabloteh will attempt to secure the final CFU spot by holding on for a second position finish in the DPL. The “San Juan Kings” are against North East Stars on Saturday (today) from 4pm at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium needing just a draw to secure the 2017-18 CONCACAF Champions League qualifiers spot as well as the DPL Kevon Carter (Round Three) trophy.
But a Jabloteh loss against North East Stars coupled by a win for Defence Force in their final game against Caledonia could see “San Juan Kings” lose it all; handing the “Sangre Grande Stars” the Kevon Carter trophy and the Army/Coast Guard combination the highly sought-after CONCACAF Champions League qualifiers spot and a booster ahead of their Digicel Pro Bowl 2016 final against Connection on May 27.
Digicel Pro League 2015/16
Round Three Match Day Nine
Friday’s (May 20) results
Club Sando 2 (Kevon Woodley 22’, Akeem Humphrey 38’) vs W Connection 5 (Malik St. Prix 8’, 57’, Dimitrie Apai 68’, Andre Toussaint 79’, 83’), at the Ato Boldon Stadium;
Central FC 7 (Ricardo John 14’, 48’, 60’, Jason Marcano 63’, 66’, 90’, Kadeem Corbin 84’) vs St. Ann’s Rangers 0, at the Ato Boldon Stadium.
Final season fixtures
Digicel Pro League 2015/16
Round Three Match Day Nine
Saturday May 21, 2016
Mahaica Oval
Point Fortin Civic vs Police FC—6pm
Larry Gomes Stadium
Defence Force vs Morvant Caledonia United—4pm
Mannie Ramjohn Stadium
San Juan Jabloteh vs North East Stars—4pm
Digicel Pro Bowl Final
Friday May 27
Ato Boldon Stadium
W Connection vs Defence Force
Teams on Friday (May 20) at the Ato Boldon Stadium
W Connection: 1.Terrence Lewis (GK), 2.Kurt Frederick (Capt.), 4.Maurice Ford, 8.Briel Thomas, 12.Dimitrie Apai, 17.Aikim Andrews, 26.Paolo De La Guardia Alvarez, 27.Jelani Peters, 43.Malik St. Prix (20.Jamal Charles 76th minute), 46.Anfernee Frederick (14.Andre Tousssaint 53rd minute), 48.Zaine Pierre (23.Kevon Goddard 64th minute)
Unused substitutes: 18.Julani Archibald (GK), 23.Kevon Goddard, 42.Stephon Smith, 44.Judah St. Louis, 65.Jordan Riley
Coach: Stuart Charles-Fevrier
Club Sando: 34.Kelvin Henry (GK) (Capt.), 6.Kemuel Rivers, 7.Akeem Humphrey, 8.Levi Crawford, 9.Jesse Downing, 16.Kevon Woodley, 17.Jared London, 22.Coneal Thomas (21.Jerome Samuel 73rd minute), 26.Shaquille Holder (12.Israel Williams 70th minute), 24.Devon Modeste, 38.Michael Basdeo
Unused substitutes: Khris Stroud
Referee: Keilon Bacchus
Central FC: 1.Javon Sample (GK), 3.Keion Goodridge, 7.Jason Marcano, 8.Ricardo John (14.Nicholas Dillon 67th minute), 9.Kadeem Corbin, 11.Darren Mitchell, 12.Jamal Jack (Capt.), 15.Kaydion Gabriel, 19.Nathaniel Garcia, 25.Elijah Manners (5.Derron John 70th minute), 26.Jem Gordon (22.Shem Clauzel 74th minute)
Unused substitutes: 2.Aaron Kennedy, 4.Jaydon Powell, 18.Michael Darko, 30.Levi Fernandes (GK)
Coach: Dale Saunders
St. Ann’s Rangers: 1.Stefan Berkeley (GK), 2.Shakiyl Phillip, 7.Sedale Mc Lean (33.Jomokie Cassimy 80th minute), 8.Kevon Piper, 9.Keron Cornwall (34.Jerrell Hibbert 79th minute), 13.Jeromie Williams, 15.Anselm Jackson, 16.Richard Williams, 18.Trevin Latapy (Capt.), 27.Kareem Baptiste (10.Johan Peltier 55th minute), 29.Jameel Antoine
Unused substitutes: 22.Christopher Biggette (GK), 31.Dyllon Lara
Coach: Angus Eve
Referee: Rashby McPhie