Brent Antoine netted a goal in either half to seal bmobile Joe Public’s first piece of silverware for the season as they defeated Stokely Vale 2-1 in a tense blink/bmobile National Super League knock-out final on Sunday.
The match was the second of a double header which took place at the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Canaan, Tobago. Both sides were equal throughout the first quarter of the 90 minutes.
However, following the period of shared possession between both sides, Joe Public found the breakthrough when Antoine finished neatly from a through ball delivered by former Pro League standout Andre Toussaint.
The finish followed a series of passes constructed by the recently-strengthened Joe Public midfield.
Along with Toussaint, Hayden Tinto and Carlyle Mitchell started the match, putting Joe Public, slightly in the position as favourite to take the title. The match remained 1-0 in favour of Joe Public at the half time interval.
At the start of the second half, Joe Public regained momentum and within 15 minutes, found their second item, this time from the striker Antoine’s head.
Playing through the centre of the park, Jamel Lewis sent in an extended lofted ball which fell kindly to Anoine’s head in the 61st when he put it away clinically past Lewis Forde, between the posts for Stokely Vale.
The scoring was not over, however, as Stokely Vale pressed for a goal to bring them back into the match. They eventually found one through a curling Trevonne James effort in the 82nd.
It was not clear whether the effort was meant to be a shot or a cross, but Joe Public goalkeeper Jevon Bourne seemed to have misjudged the ball, allowing it to spin on the inside of the net.
The match remained 2-1 at the final whistle, which was followed by Joe Public celebrations. After the victory, Joe Public Super League coach Dale Saunders expressed relief at the verdict.
“We’re (the club) very happy with the result as we played for the win,” said Saunders. He continued, “It’s the first piece of silverware for the season and we’re looking forward to winning more. That’s our intentions.”
When asked what are the club’s ambitions for the rest of the season, given the decision to opt out of the Pro League campaign, Saunders said: “All I know is that we want to win. We will be playing for the league title. But I cannot speak for next season. That is not in our view right now.”
The final followed the fifth/fixth FA play-off match which was originally carded to play earlier last month between 1976 FC Phoenix and West Side Super Starzs. Phoenix won the match 3-0.
Dominique Kerr netted a double for the Tobago team Phoenix with a goal in either half, while Shelton Williams wrapped up the match with a goal in the 90th minute.
Despite Stokely Vale’s loss in the final, the team remains on top of the National Super League standings on 21 points.
Club Sando trails by a single point in second place, while Joe Public is in third, two points behind the leaders and a match in hand.
Joe Public win Super League.
T&T Newsday Reports.
The title was vacated by TTEC, who are now featuring in the Pro League, but Joe Public were too much to handle for Stokely Vale, who failed to spark in front of their home fans at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet.
Brent Antoine notched a double for Joe Public, in the 23rd and 61st minutes, while Trovonne James pulled one back for Stokely Vale in the 82nd.
In the earlier match of the double-header, 1976 FC Phoenix hammered West Side Super Starz 3-0 in a play-off to determine the fifth and sixth-placed teams in the 2011-2012 Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) FA Trophy competition.
Phoenix’s ace forward Dominique Kerr netted a pair for Phoenix, in the 13th and 66th minutes, while Shelton Williams completed the scoring in the 90th.
Action in Match Day Twelve will be contested today, but Defence Force will again be absent — their scheduled meeting against Real Maracas has been postponed.
Leaders Stokely Vale will make the inter-island trek to meet Eagles United at Woodford Lodge in Chaguanas while second-placed Club Sando will visit fourth-placed WASA at St Joseph. The knockout kings Joe Public will travel to the Hasely Crawford Stadium’s Tra-
ining Field in Mucurapo to face West Side Super Starz and table-proppers St Francois Nationals will head to Canaan, Bon Accord to oppose Phoenix.
Today’s games will commence at four o’clock, with the exception of the WASA-Club Sando contest, which will begin at 5 pm.
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