Former national youth player, Kishun Seecharan, scored a pair of second-half goals to seal FC Santa Rosa’s 4-1 defeat of Metal X Erin FC, and with it move to the top of the T&T Super League on Wednesday night.
Starting the night in a three-way tie at the top of the 14-team table with Cunupia FC and Queen’s Park Cricket Club, all with 21 points, Santa Rosa went into the half-time interval 1-0 ahead thanks to Akeem
Garcia’s 28th-minute strike at the Arima Municipal Stadium.
Five minutes into the second-half, Kheelon Mitchell made it 2-0 with his team-leading seventh goal of the season.
However, Erin FC, third from bottom on the table did not throw in the towel and in the 70th minute got a goal back through Akinola Williams.
Any thoughts of the visitors stealing a share of the points in Arima soon faded after Seecharan restored Santa Rosa’s two-goal cushion with his team’s third on the night in the 76th minute before he sealed all three points, with his second of the match, four minutes from the final whistle.
Victory lifted FC Santa Rosa, coached by Derek King, who led North East Stars to the T&T Pro League crown last year, to 24 points from 11 matches, three ahead of Cunupia FC and the ‘Parkites’ who will both have chances to regain the share of the lead on Sunday, while matches resume tomorrow.
On Sunday, QPCC will entertain RSSR FC at St Mary’s College Ground, Serpentine Road, St Clair from 4 pm while Petit Valley/Diego Martin United welcomes Cunupia FC to St Anthony’s College Ground, Westmoorings, also from 4 pm.
Tomorrow in the lone match which can have a bearing on the top four, defending champions, Guaya United with 19 points will have a chance to go second with victory over Club Sando Cultural Roots United at Dibe Recreation, Ground, Long Circular, St James in a 6 pm kickoff.
RESULTS
• FC Santa Rosa 4 (Kishun Seecharan 76th, 86th, Akeem Garcia 28th, Kheelon Mitchell 50th) vs Erin FC 1 (Akinola Williams 70th)
TOMORROW’S MATCHES
• Club Sando Cultural Roots vs Guaya United, Dibe Rec. Ground, Long Circular, 6 pm
• Matura ReUnited vs Police FC, Valencia Sec. School Ground, 4 pm
• UTT vs Bethel United, UTT O’Meara Campus, 7 pm
• Prison Service vs San Fernando Giants, YTC Ground, Arouca, 3.30 pm
ON SUNDAY
• QPCC vs RSSR, St Mary’s College Ground, Serpentine Road, St Clair, 4 pm
• Petit Valley/Diego Martin United vs Cunupia FC, St Anthony’s College Ground, Westmoorings, 4 pm
STANDINGS
Teams P W D L GF GA Pts
1. FC Santa Rosa 11 8 0 3 29 10 24
2. Cunupia FC 10 6 3 1 23 10 21
3. QPCC 10 6 3 1 22 12 21
4. Guaya Utd 10 5 4 1 18 9 19
5. Matura ReUnited 10 5 2 3 20 21 17
6. Police FC 10 4 4 2 13 10 16
7. RSSR FC 10 3 4 3 13 14 13
8. Prisons Service 9 3 4 2 12 13 13
9. UTT 10 3 2 5 13 19 11
10. Bethel Utd 10 1 5 4 14 22 8
11. Club Sando Cultural 10 2 2 6 7 16 8
12. Erin FC 10 1 3 6 11 17 6
13. P.V.D.M Utd 10 1 3 6 9 18 6
14. San F’do Giants 10 0 5 5 8 21 5