Former National striker Jamal Gay scored a third minute winner as the Trinidad and Tobago Under-20 team edged Angostura 1976 FC Phoenix 1-0 at Canaan, Bon Accord yesterday to claim the bmobile National Super League title.
The Zoran Vranes-coached outfit is using this year’s tournament to prepare for the 2009 CONCACAF Under-20 Championships, which will be held here in Trinidad and Tobago from March 6-15.
Another team with title aspirations, the “Eastern Lions” Joe Public, held off ALCOA Carenage United 2-1 at the Defence Force Ground, Chaguaramas yesterday with a double from ex-national youth team forward Christopher Sam (30th and 43rd), while Kareem Young pulled one back with a 50th minute penalty.
The Under-20s and Joe Public both ended on 54 points but the youth team prevailed by virtue of a superior goal difference (plus 44 to Joe Public’s plus 30).
Dethroned champs WASA finished in third spot with 52 points, and will be left to rue last Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat to Joe Public, a result which kept the “Eastern Lions” and Joe Public in the hunt.
If WASA were victorious last Wednesday, they would have retained the title regardless of yesterday’s scores.
And the Under-20s will be seeking a clean sweep of Super League trophies in the Big 4 competition, which will also include Joe Public, WASA and Phoenix.
Pl W D L F A Pts
National U-20 24 16 6 2 69 25 54
Joe Public 24 17 3 4 62 32 54
WASA 24 16 4 4 75 27 52
Phoenix 23 13 5 5 56 26 44
Carenage 23 12 3 8 36 34 39
Economy Strikers 24 12 2 10 42 55 38
Defence Force 24 9 6 9 49 39 33
Club Sando 24 10 2 12 50 49 32
Harlem 24 9 2 13 37 40 29
St Francois 24 7 3 14 34 50 24
Harvard 24 6 3 15 35 52 21
Crab Connection 24 5 4 15 31 67 19
UTT 24 1 1 21 14 93 4