Sylvester Teesdale scored a late double as T&TEC surged and blanked neighbours W Connection 2-0 to climb to the top of the Digicel T&T Pro League table on Friday night.
Going into their top-of-the-table league encounter at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, T&TEC was eager to prove its 4-3 penalty-kicks win over W Connection after a 1-1 draw in their First Citizens Cup semifinal was no fluke, while the “Savonetta Boys” had vengeance on their minds.
However, at the interval, the Stuart Charles-Fevrier coached W Connection which boasted its core of national players inclusive of Hughtun Hector, Jean-Michael Williams, Mekeil Williams, Shahdon Winchester, Joevin Jones and Jerrel Britto was still locked at 0-0 with the “Electricity Boys” who were without influential defender, Anthony Noreiga due to suspension.
With 12 minutes left in the contest, T&TEC managed to break the deadlock via Teesdale. Five minutes later he added a second to seal a 2-0 victory and with it top spot on the table with ten points from four matches.
T&TEC are now one ahead of W Connection, which has played a match more and have lost its last two encounters after a 3-0 start to the league campaign.
Striker Jamal Gay and his Neal & Massy Caledonia AIA team-mate also showed their 2-1 First Citizens Cup triumph over Adam’s Construction San Juan Jabloteh was no flash in the pan, with a 3-1 spanking in Friday’s second match at Mucurapo.
Gay, who has featured for both the national Under-23 and senior team continued his good form against Jabloteh with another double after Keyon Edwards opened the scoring.
Edwards fired in the opener in the 14th minute as Caledonia AIA, the First Citizens Cup winner already this season started impressively in pursuit of a first league win in four attempts.
Gay, one of five members of the national Under-22 team in Caledonia squad made it 2-0 in the 35th minute which his team took into the break and six minutes after the restart he extended the cushion to 3-0 against Jabloteh, which was coming off a confidence boosting 2-0 win over W Connection on Tuesday.
With 12 minutes left in the match, Elton John got Jabloteh a lifeline, however, that was as close as the Earl “Spiderman” Carter coach San Juan club will get as Caledonia held firm to secure a first league win of the season.
Despite the loss, Jabloteh stayed third with six points from five matches, two more than DirecTV North East Stars and St Ann’s Rangers while Caledonia is next with three points.
The league will now take a break until November 18 due to the Soca Warriors preparations for its upcoming Concacaf Group B 2014 World Cup qualifiers away to Guyana on November 11 and four days later at home.
Friday’s Results
T&TEC 2 (Sylvester Teesdale 78th, 83rd) vs W Connection 0
Caledonia 3 (Jamal Gay 35th, 51st, Keyon Edwards 14th) vs Jabloteh 1 (Elton John 78th)
Standings
Teams P W D L F A Pts
T&TEC 4 3 1 0 8 2 10
W Connection 5 3 0 2 6 6 9
Jabloteh 5 1 3 1 8 8 6
NE Stars 4 1 1 2 4 5 4
Rangers 4 1 1 2 6 9 4
Caledonia 4 1 0 3 4 6 3
D/Force 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Police 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Caledonia end League slump by trashing Jabloteh 3-1.
ttproleague.com.
Keyon Edwards opened the scoring and strike teammate Jamal Gay followed up with a pair of goals netting on either side of the half to give Caledonia AIA of Morvant/Laventille a comfortable 3-1 win over Adam’s Construction San Juan Jabloteh in the second clash of a 2011-2012 Digicel Pro League Championship Super Friday double header at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
It was the first League win for Caledonia now with just three points, while for Jabloteh it was the San Juan club’s first League defeat coming against the very same side that defeated them in the semi-final round of the First Citizens Cup this season in which Gay also notched a double in the 2-1 win.
In the first minute of play on Friday night Caledonia found the back of the net through a strike from Keyon Edwards, however the play was reversed by referee Annaz Mohammed who had already blown for a freekick in favour of the Morvant/Laventille side before the strike.
But Edwards against the run of play in the 14th minute proved that he was indeed hungry to find the back of the net and did so heading into goalkeeper Cleon John’s far netting from a well placed Trayon Bobb cross for a 1-0 advantage.
Caledonia continued to dominate the match and even defender Abdullah Nuru Muhammad got into the offensive action in the 33rd minute with a good attempt only to see it overbar and a minute later midfielder Akim Armstrong fired wide of the upright.
Gay then converted past goalkeeper John with a simple finish when he was picked out by Abdallah Phillips unmarked on the left for an early 2-0 Caledonia cushion by the 35th minute.
Jabloteh coach Earl Carter responded with a strange change replacing talented midfielder Marvin Oliver with the younger legs of Elton John back in the San Juan club’s colours for the first time this season.
Gay was at it again two minutes before the break and should have won a penalty on his way to goal with only goalkeeper John to beat, but with his shirt being tugged all the way only managed a lobbed effort overbar before going to ground.
The lanky forward finally got to his second in the 35th minute when he out-jumped the Jabloteh defense to meet Sheldon Emmanuel’s free kick heading past goalkeeper John for a 3-0 score.
On debut Elton John later pulled a goal back for Jabloteh in the 76th minute when he was on hand to tap in a rebound after goalkeeper Coker parried a Nigel Daniel freekick.
And in injury time Sheldon Bateau was denied by a Coker save in injury time after turning inside the area and letting off a shot.
Caledonia AIA Match Statistics San Juan Jabloteh
3 Goals 1
8 Attempts on Target 4
4 Attempts Wide 1
2 Offsides 0
1 Corners 1
13 Fouls 12
1 Yellow Cards 1
0 Red Cards 0
Teams
Caledonia AIA—Zane Coker, Stephan David (capt), Nuru Abdullah Muhammad, Burton Sheldon Emmanuel, Keyon Edwards (Yellow 75) (Colin Nelson 77th), Abdallah Phillips (Keda Roderick 68th), Kareem Joseph, Trayon Bobb, Akim Armstrong, Jamal Gay (Makesi Lewis 60th), Aquil Selby.
Coach—Jerry Moe.
San Juan Jabloteh—Cleon John (capt), Marvin Oliver (Elton John 37th), Joel Leslie Russell (Yellow 73), Devon Jamerson (Luke Gullick 46th), Nigel Daniel, Sheldon Bateau, Kennedy Hinkson, Johan Peltier (Reshad Wint 57th), Jamal Jack, Hector Sam, Willis Plaza.
Coach—Earl Carter.
T&TEC defeats Connection a second time.
Sylvester Teesdale found the back of the net twice in a space of five minutes to hand T&TEC a late 2-0 win over W Connection on Friday night at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Round One Match Day Six of the 2011-2012 Digicel Pro League Championship for its second win over the Couva based club this season.
Teesdale, a former United Petrotrin striker, took his League tally to four goals and extended T&TEC’s unbeaten run in the tournament to four matches with his pair of goals which came in the 78th and 83rd minutes.
T&TEC coming off a 1-1 draw against San Juan Jabloteh in its previous match returned to the top of the standings with 10 points, one point ahead of Connection(9 points) which picked up its second consecutive defeat with the other being a 2-0 defeat against Jabloteh last Tuesday.
T&TEC, which defeated Connection last month in the semi-final round of the First Citizens Cup with a 4-3 penalty win following a 1-1 draw, broke the deadlock in the 78th minute on Friday night when Teesdale headed the ball past goalkeeper Jan Michael Williams off a Javed Mohammed left side free kick for a 1-0 advantage.
Teesdale then got his second of the night in the 83rd minute with a spectacular item lunging forward to meet substitute Marcus Ambrose well placed cross beating Williams for the 2-0 result.
Williams conceded two late goals but pulled off a couple fine saves in the first period.
In the 13th minute from an Andrei Pacheco short corner, Javed Mohammed picked up the pass and opened up a shot on his left foot from distance forcing a brilliant save out of goalkeeper Williams who pushed it behind for a corner.
T&TEC then offered a couple wide efforts with Kurlon Ferguson hitting over from distance in the 33rd minute and two minutes later wingback Aubrey David made an ambitious run into the W Connection area holding off a challenge before unleashing a shot wide of the far post.
And on the opposite end Connection midfielder Keron Cummings struck the side netting in the 37th minute with a powerful half volley after T&TEC defense failed to properly handle a corner.
T&TEC then won a freekick in the 38th minute some 25 yards out and Mohammed from the set piece and Mohammed was on target again with a powerfully struck kick but was measured by a brilliant save by Williams.
Connection’s first effort on target came following the break in the 49th minute when left wingback Joevin Jones, who had a wide shot two minutes inside the game and an overbar freekick in the 20th minute, hammered a low shot from distance but it was covered well by goalkeeper Akini Adams.
W Connection finally broke a solid T&TEC defense marshaled by Kern Peters and Corneal Thomas in the 58th minute by a counterattack run by Jerrel Britto, but the 19 yearold forward hammered just wide of the near upright with only goalkeeper Adams to beat from inside the area.
And following Teesdale’s pair of goals, Connection defender Mekeil Williams was denied by the crossbar three minutes from the end after diving in to meet a Hughtun Hector coss.
2011-2012 Digicel Pro League Championship
Round One Match Day Six Results
T&TEC FC 2—0 W Connection
Sylvester Teesdale 78’, 83’
Caledonia AIA 3—1 San Juan Jabloteh
Keyon Edwards 14’, Jamal Gay 35’, 50’ ; Elton John 76’
T&TEC FC Match Statistics W Connection
2 Goals 0
4 Attempts on Target 3
3 Attempts Wide 4
0 Offsides 0
12 Corners 11
10 Fouls 10
1 Yellow Cards 1
0 Red Cards 0
Teams
T&TEC FC—Akini Adams, Kern Peters (capt), Corneal Thomas, Javed Mohammed, Eustace Daruis (Yellow Card 42nd), Sylvester Teesdale, Bevon Bass (Marcus Joseph 65th), Andrei Pacheco (Kerron Bennito 90th), Kerlon Ferguson (Verlon Ferguson 90th+), Kelvin Modeste, Aubrey David.
Coach—Dexter Cyrus.
W Connection—Jan Michael Williams, Hughtun Hector (capt) (Yellow 22), Keron Cummings (Jomal Williams 77th), Joevin Jones, Kern Cupid (Hashim Arcia 82nd), Shahdon Winchester, Andre Quashie, Jerrel Britto (Rennie Britto 75th), Akeem Benjamin, Mekeil Williams, Kenaz Williams.
Coach—Stuart Charles Fevrier.