Cunupia FC was crowned champion of the CRILLE-sponsored Central Football Association Premier Division on Tuesday night, after title chasing Leeds United failed in its bid to get a clear ten-goal victory over Cap Off Youths in their final league match at Hugo Francis Recreation Ground, Woodford.
Needing to win by a 10-0 to overcome Cunupia’s plus-22 goal-difference, Leeds got a beaver-trick from Lyndon Luke, but only managed a 7-3 triumph and had to settle for second spot with 41 points, the same as the newly crowned champion.
Cunupia collected $10,000 and a place in the T&T Football Federation (TTFF) “Champion of Champions” competition from which three teams will qualify for the blink/bmobile National Super League.
As early as the first minute Kevon Agostini fired Leeds into the lead as they began their goal quest but Kevin Peters drew Cap Off Youths level six minutes later.
Within a minute, Luke calmed the nerves of his team-mates by restoring his team’s lead before Randy Harris made it 3-1 in the 15th.
Eight minutes later, Luke got his second for a 4-1 lead while Harris added another to extend the margin to 5-1 before Neon O’Garro got a second for Cap Off Youths to trail, 5-2 at the interval.
On the resumption, O’Garro added another for Cap Off Youths in the 68th minute to make Leeds’ task much harder and despite Luke adding two more goals, in the 76th and 84th, the ask was too much for Leeds which had to settle for the $5,000 runner-up prize.
Also on Tuesday, Edinburgh 500 romped to a 10-2 demolition of Las Lomas United led by hat-tricks from Stephen Julien and Atiba Alves each, to end with 38 points in fourth spot to collect $2,000, two points behind Enterprise Youths which took home $3,000 for third.
Today, the Sanitank League Cup will kick off with two qualifying round matches from 7pm.
In the two confirmed quarterfinals, Leeds faces Edinburgh at Hugo Francis Recreation Ground on Saturday while Enterprise Youths and Cunupia clash at Edinburgh.
In addition to being crowned CFA Premier Division champions, Cunupia has already won the inaugural Hugo Francis Memorial Cup and the Ramsingh Sports World FA Trophy. (NS)
Tuesday Results
Leeds Utd 7 (Lyndon Luke 8th, 23rd, 76th, 84th, Randy Harris 15th, 38th, Kevon Agostini 1st) vs Cap Off Youths 3 (Neon O’Garro 43rd, 68th, Kevin Peters 7th)
Edinburgh 10 (Stephen Julien 23rd, 27th, 48th, Atiba Alves 30th, 85th, 89th, Kevin Peters 79th, 86th, Shekiel Dennis 63rd, Andre Myers 14th) vs Las Lomas 2 (Clint Bourne 60th, Brandon Simpson 75th)
Thursday
Edinburgh 500 3 vs KC Perseverance Utd 0
Leeds Utd 4 (Sherman Phillip 24th, 25th, 31st, Michael Hemlee 84th) vs Las Lomas Utd 0
Sanitank League Cup - Today [Round-of-16]
A - Las Lomas vs St Mary’s, Hugo Francis Rec. Grd, 7 pm
B - Cap Off Youths vs Ball Runners, Edinburgh 500 Rec Grd, 7 pm
De Four delighted with Cunupia FC season.
By STEPHON NICHOLAS (Newsday).
CUNUPIA FC coach, Michael De Four, has hailed his team’s campaign in the Central Football Association (CFA) as a tremendous success as they are on the cusp of their first league title in this their debut season.
With all games completed, Cunupia are top of the table on 41 points with a Goal Difference (GD) of + 21 points while Leeds FC are second on 41 points and GD of +16. Enterprise Youths are third on 40 points with a +20 GD.
The league title is still not yet decided, though, as there is a matter currently pending before the disciplinary committee which will decide a protest by Enterprise Youths.
The match currently under investigation is one between Enterprise Youths and Leeds FC which ended 2-3 in favour of Leeds.
De Four, however, congratulated his team on their performance regardless of the result of the protest.
“The entire season was a thrill throughout. We started at the bottom of the table after losing our first three games but we haven’t lost in 26 games since then,” he said.
“We’ve won more or less three titles and I’m proud of the club’s achievements as well as the players,” he added.
The Cunupia FC coach, noted it was a tactical adjustment that turned their poor start to the season into one filled with silverware.
“The turning point was realising we were leaking goals. The first two games we played we lost 4-3 and 3-2 so it was not like we weren’t scoring. We made a change to a formation as well as a personal adjustment and we stopped leaking goals as badly yet still maintained out strike force,” he explained.
With his team reeling off wins in the league as well as clinching the Hugo Francis and Central FA Cups, De Four revealed that his team began believing they could finish top of the league. “When we won the first Cup, the team realised that on any given day, no team could beat us and that helped boost our confidence.
On a bad day, it appears that we are as good as any team on their good day and that’s because of our style of football. We (could) play three different formations and on any given day we play with urgency and on others we play with patience and poise,” he pointed out.
The Cunupia FC boss is now charting a plan to take his team to the next level and bring more success to the club.
“I believe we will be in the National FA and I’m assuming we’re in the Champion of Champions too. I expect to see the club in the Super League very soon and I hope to have another team with the same name competing in the Central FA,” he continued.
And with the League Cup still to come, Cunupia FC will be aiming for a clean sweep of the 2012 season with a possible four titles.
“We want to try and win the League Cup. It has been a wonderful season for us and after we will take a trip or just have a get-together for the team,” he concluded.