Take That and Cool It defeated Boys Town 3-2 in extra time on Saturday to edge a hard fought final in the Caribbean Welders Fishing Pond Football League and pocket the $30,000 first prize. Boys Town had to ‘cool it’ with second place and $7,000 while 2015 winners G Madrid edged Dream Team on penalties in the battle for third place.
They received $5,000 and $3,000 respectively.
Boys Town opened the scoring through Shaden Primus early in the first half but ‘Cool It’ hit back through Irvin Reyes and Kelon Valdez to snatch the lead at halftime. Boys Town rang in the changes at the break, using all their substitutions and it was two of their subs that combined to score the equaliser midway through the second half. Right winger Andel Jones found Marcus Chandool unmarked in the box and the nippy forward tapped into the open net. With extra time needed to separate the teams, it would take a setpiece to win the tie. ‘Cool It’ won a free kick close to 22 yards out and Leon Durity, urged to do “nothing fancy” but put his laces through it, did just that and aided by a slight deflection off the wall, left the Boys Town goalie statuesque as the ball nestled into the back of the net. It was a cruel way to settle an exciting final but still a deserved win for the team managed by Sherwin ‘Pigeon’ Joseph.
“The performance was real good, both teams play well but we know they never beat us. They take the lead but I wasn’t panicking at no time. I know them depending on two or three players but I have a team, a complete team,” Joseph declared.
A confident Joseph added that he was prepared to go to penalties as he believes his team had the better penalty kickers at their disposal. And with the majority of the crowd supporting Boys Town, he said the victory was made sweeter. “That does hype up the game. Right now they silent like is a funeral. I ain’t give them no talk before the game but right now is my time,” Joseph said while chuckling.
Earlier, Boys Town started the more aggressive team, finding spaces in the Boys Town defence on the counterattack. Primus fired the first warning shot from the right at the near post but ‘Cool It’ goalie Anderson Weeks was alert to make the save. There was nothing he could do though a few minutes later when Primus and Ian Charles combined on another break with the latter squaring a pass to the former in the penalty area to break the deadlock.
But ‘Cool It’ were soon level courtesy a blast from the past.
Former national player and veteran Alvin ‘Sweetbread’ Boisson was given too much room in the midfield and the 50-year-old needed no prompting, unleashing a vicious shot that the Boys Town goalie could only parry skywards, and Reyes, a former Boys Town player, followed up to knock in the equaliser in the vacant net.
Kendall Nathaniel was having an excellent game for ‘Cool It’ and came close with a header and then a shot from distance as ‘Cool It’ began to take control. Primus, though, was proving a handful with his size and speed and collected the ball on the left flank before drifting past three players infield and lashing a shot that flew just over the bar.
But ‘Cool It’ would take the lead, Boys Town’s Brent Jackson losing the ball cheaply in the ‘Cool It’ half and a long clearance found the run of Kelon Valdez who beat the offside trap and slotted the ball expertly past the goalie.
It could have been 3-1 when Reyes robbed Boys Town rightback Korey Boatswain of the ball and cut on his favoured rightfoot, but shot narrowly wide of the right post as the half ended.
Boys Town came out in desperate search of the equaliser and could have had it through an unlikely source, defender Paul White made a strong run from deep in his half but his left-footed shot was tame and easily held.
They would have their equaliser though, the speedy substitute Andel Jones came on for Jackson on the right and he romped down the flank before sending a low cross into the danger area.
Charles ‘dummied’ the ball at the near post for Chandool who could not miss unmarked at the far post.
But ‘Cool It’ had the best chance to win it in regulation time when a long ball was taken down by Reyes but he took one more touch than necessary and Boatswain closed him down before he could get his shot off.
With extra time needed and penalties looming, Durity’s deflected free-kick proved the difference aided by a little bit of luck to decide the winner.