It took a penalty shootout to finally bring the 2006 Courts Pro Bowl Final to life after defending champions CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh and Vibe CT 105 W Connection played out a 0-0 regulation time draw on Friday night at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella.
The earlier third-place playoff was also decided on penalties, 3-1 in favour of Neal & Massy Caledonia AIA, after they were held 2-2 by the Defence Force.
But in the main match, tight defences and blatant misses ensured that the grand final never quite reached thriller proportions, until the very end when good fortune swung sharply from one team to the next.
Having mastered Jabloteh 3-0 on penalties during the 2004 final, W Connection looked set for a repeat when converting their first two spot kicks. But, needing just one more to capture the 2006 title, the unlikely happened when their next four kickers-Brazilians Ronaldo Viana and Williams De Oliveira, St Lucian Elijah Joseph and T&T national under-23 striker Devon Mitchell-all missed.
Ronald Primus and Josh Johnson converted for Jabloteh and although midfielder Brent Rahim missed, the teams were level 2-2 after five kicks apiece.
In sudden-death, ex-Jabloteh player Devon Mitchell hit his shot over the bar, but veteran Peter Prosper stayed cool as ever to score and give the reigning champs a 3-2 penalty-kicks victory.
After a lack of clinical finishing all night, it was no surprise that the shootout took the same path.
Jabloteh's Kerry Baptiste had the first sniff of goal in the seventh minute in reguation, but put the ball over the W Connection crossbar after keeper Jan Michael Williams had spilled a clearance.
Half-hour later, Baptiste had an almost exact opportunity...and came up with the same result. It was not his night in front of goal.
Likewise, in the 33rd minute, the normally-clinical W Connection captain Earl Jean should have buried Michael Celestine's deceptive pass inside the penalty area, but had his low shot smothered by the body of Jabloteh custodian Daurance Williams.
Jabloteh had the better of the second half and looked set to score in the 54th through Johnson, who pulled down a crossball at the right edge of the penalty area. But, having eluded his marker, the speedy winger panicked and lofted the ball over the bar, under the challenge of the W. Connection goalie.
Later Andre Toussaint was free to have a clear run into Jabloteh's penalty area when picked out by a pin-point cross. But, the W Connection striker never made up his mind whether to hit first time or collect the ball. He ended up doing neither and lost possession. Such was the story of a game that never quite caught fire until the very end.
Teams
SAN JUAN JABLOTEH: Daurance Williams; Keyeno Thomas, Ronald Primus, Nigel Daniel, Ian Gray; Trent Noel (Wendell Joseph 73rd), Brent Rahim, Josh Johnson, Akeil Guevara (Peter Prosper 60th), Kerry Baptiste (capt); Lester Peltier (Elton John 78th).
W CONNECTION: Jan-Michael Williams; Elijah Joseph, Christopher Harvey, Nickcolson Thomas, William Da Silva Oliveria; Clyde Leon, Michael Celestine (Devon Drayton 76th), Ronaldo Viana, Hughton Hector (Devon Mitchell 71st); Andre Toussaint, Earl Jean (capt).