T&T open Digicel Cup in style with 6-2 win over St Vincent

Read the full time update of the T&T vs St Vincent match with Lasana Liburd.

There never seems to be any science or rational formula to determining crowd sizes in Trinidad. (And that goes for political crowds too). So here goes my totally unscientific estimate... 80 persons in uncovered and about 800 in covered stands at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella.

3rd minute; GOAL T&T, Jan-Michael Williams forced into save within seconds as St Vincent raid down our left flank. But three minutes in, Devon Jorsling collects on top opposing box and strokes left foot into the far corner!

Jorsling now has six goals in last seven games against Caribbean opposition. Bet neighbouring territories aren't keen to let him through immigration!

I'm still waxing on about Jorsling, scourge of the Caribbean seas... He now has nine goals for Trinidad and Tobago and they have come against seven different Caribbean nations. Before St Vincent, there was (in order) Barbados, St Kitts, Guyana, Antigua, Jamaica and St Lucia.

11 minutes; St Vincent relatively subdued after early goal. Play fairly even with Peltier already having some joy down the right flank.

St Vincent's starting goalkeeper Dwayne Sandy was signed by Caledonia as a 15-year-old. Not much he could have done about Jorsling's opener which was really well placed.

14 minutes; Trent Noel's free kick from 25 yards clips the top of the wall and goes behind for a corner which is also wasted.

Jabloteh and Ma Pau fans might recognise Vincentian number 10 Shandel Samuel. It was Samuel who got the game's first effort on goal.

UPDATE - Guyana 0 vs Haiti 0 (Final). If the Warriors defeat Guyana on Thursday, they would be through to the Caribbean Cup final thanks to that goalless draw between Haiti and Guyana earlier.

19 minutes; Jamal Gay challenges right side cross and forces Sandy to fumble. Sandy is a tall boy but so is Gay.  Jamaican ref Dave Peterkin awards a free kick to St Vincent.

22 minutes; Joevin Jones makes a decent overlap but Jagdeosingh can't get on the end of his pass.

Warriors have territorial advantage now although there is a faster turnover of possession than snack boxes at KFC.

25 minutes; 1-1, St Vincent equalise. mber Shandel Samuel? You should now. He got the equaliser with a neat chip after a defensive error afforded him possession on top the opposing area. Samuel managed a smart finish though with Williams stranded.

30 minutes; Jamal Gay misplaced pass in general direction of Jagdeosingh and immediately discovers that the quiet home crowd does indeed have a voice. And they are none too pleased at that.

32 minutes; First yellow card goes to St Vincent's Myron Samuel for hack at Peltier that spared him having to figure out what to do with the ball.

34 minutes; GOAL T&T, Devon Jorsling, no surprise about the goal scorer but the manner of the item was a shock. Jorsling uses his weaker right foot to crash into the near corner from on top the box after St Vincent failed to clear free kick.

36 minutes; Jorsling spins and shoots ambitiously from 30 yards but Sandy takes low. Why not?

Warm applause as Warriors trade a dozen passes before Peltier fouled by opposing full back. That exchange would surely cheer Latapy up.

After being told that he must win the Caribbean Cup--a directive that was never made to Rijsbergen or Maturana--Latapy was told by TTFF special advisor that he xpects "attractive football" too. Can anyone find a definition for "attractive football" in the dictionary? I will wait...

41 minutes; Jagdeosingh down the left flank and squares expertly for Gay who misses the near post. That should have been an insurance goal for the hosts.

43rd minute; Brilliant equaliser for St Vincent! James inadvertently headed the ball into the path of Cornelius Stewart and boy did he know what to do with it! He cut inside Cyrus and hit a scorcher that flew to the left of Wiliams.

There was an interesting goal celebration too. Unfortunately, I never thought knowledge of hip hop choreography was a prerequisite for sport reporters. So I can't tell you what rap video was just pilfered.

HALF TIME - 2-2. T&T Guardian report called this the "Group of Death" today. Don't know if any past Trinidad team would have considered any group with regional neighbours to be fatal. But spot on so far...

Latapy faced Caribbean opposition twice before on local soil and mustered a win over Antigua and loss to Jamaica. He isn't doing his cause much good so far. Arguably Trinidad and Tobago's most gifted playmaker of all time, Latapy's teams are well short of guile.

Pace on the flanks and muscle in the middle is the formula for our Little Magician. There is probably more art and craft at your average primary school. Not that it might not do the trick, mind you. Lester Peltier is proving a handful on the right flank and Jagdeosingh is beginning to come into his own down the left too.

Second half starts....

47 minutes; Lester Peltier almost creates something from thin air as he bustles past McDowald but drives angled effort into near side netting.

Trinidad and Tobago football fans were confused for years by Aurtis Whitley "Otis Seaton". Might Daniel "Daneil" Cyrus take up the mantle? He was Daneil at youth level but it seems that the national senior team has rechristened him. I wonder who is the Godfather.

51 minutes; Julius James blocks Shandel in opposing area after scorching run by his strike partner Stewart. St Vincent won't mind this being a track contest.

52 minutes ; Kerry Baptiste replaces Jamal Gay. Why wasn't that change made during the interval? Why do coaches make early subs?

Crisp passing at the back from Julius James. My my... There have been more than a few moons since a national central defender executed a flawless 50-yard pass. Eat your heart out, Anton Pierre!

56 minutes; GOAL T&T. Kerry Baptiste, T&T leads 3-2.

57 minutes; Joevin Jones blocks Shandel effort on goalline to thwart another St Vincent equaliser.

58 minutes. GOAL T&T. Devon Jorsling !!, T&T 4 v SVG 2 ... Devon Jorsling collects just inside opposing "D" and crashes in left footer off underside of the bar! What a game to make a debut with live updates... I would either have no keys on my cell phone or no fingers before the night is out!

Some credit for Peltier for creating Baptiste's goal by the way. Lester Peltier's right side cross only needed to be flicked in by the well positioned Baptiste who celebrated with some gusto.

64 minutes; Hughtun Hector replaces Trent Noel. Hector wants to match Baptiste's immediate impact as he quickly lines up a free kick.

66 minutes; GOALT&T ! Kerry Baptiste, T&T leads 5-2 now. Sandy cannot hold on to low drive from Hector after Jorsling rolls free kick into his path. Baptiste follows up.

Is Latapy a genius for getting his changes right? Or a donkey for not starting with those players in the first place? Philosophy 101... We will await the goodly Sport Minister to tell us if the glass is half-full or half-empty.

70 minute; Keon Daniel replaces Lester Peltier. Considering the impacts of Baptiste and Hector, surely Daniel won't take long to settle.

A Trinbago win? Check!
Attractive football? Eh... Well, it is certainly exciting. So... Check!
I'm guessing Minister Roberts will start demanding clean sheets next!

82 minutes; Neat defending by Daneil Cyrus to dispossess Stewart on the charge. But surely there is too much daylight space in the Trinidad and Tobago back four.

Kern Cupid, Daneil Cyrus, Julius James and Joevin Jones look like four strangers in a bar who decide to share a table. Who buys the first round? Who is the designated driver? Who is the spokesman? They are making it up as they go.

Since Avery John, Trinidad and Tobago have used anyone born after 1976 with a left foot at left back (being cheeky of course). But Joevin Jones looks like he might be the one. Of course it might not be Joevin Jones. Jovin Jones looks good too. Another young player with a TTFF Godfather. If the TTFF can't even spell the name of their prize employees, is there any wonder that there is always friction between players and administrators? Just a thought.

Stoppage time. GOAL! Hector, T&T leads 6-2... Hector surprises Sandy with quick free kick. He seemed to surprise ground too. Maybe I'm not the only person here on their phone.

Full time whistle. Trinidad and Tobago 6, St Vincent 2. Overall, Trinidad and Tobago were clearly superior although Latapy would want to tighten up at the back and he would want a more proactive view at defending starting from his midfield.

That's all folks. I hope the forum enjoyed that... I think my next live update would be cricket. And definitely not the 20/ 20 version! ...My cellular is creaking!

Teams

T&T: - 1.Jan-Michael Williams; 5.Kern Cupid, 6.Daneil Cyrus, 16.Julius James, 14.Joevin Jones; 2.Clyde Leon (capt), 8.Trent Noel (7.Hughtun Hector 64th), 13.Kendall Jagdeosingh, 15.Lester Peltier (19.Keon Daniel 70th); 17.Jamal Gay (4.Kerry Baptiste 52nd), 9.Devon Jorsling.

Unused Subs: - 21.Marvin Phillip, 3.Yohance Marshall, 10.Anthony Wolfe, 18.Densill Theobald.

SVG: - 1.Dwayne Sandy, 4.Roy Richards, 5.Oscar Nero, 6.Wesley Charles (capt), 7.Cornelius Stewart, 8.Dorren Hamlet (23.Paul Farrell 78th), 9.Myron Samuel, 10.Shandel Samuel (14.Windell Cuffy 73rd), 12.Seinard Bownes, 13.Damol Francis (17.Joel George 62nd), 18. Reginal Richardson.

Referee: - Dave Peterkin (Jamaica).

Other Teams

Haiti: - 12.Steward Ceus, 2.Mechack Jerome (18.Wildedonald Guerrier 44th), 3.Parnal Guerrier, 4.Harold Milord, 5.Versailles Kenold, 8.Sony Vorbe (14.Jacqueson Jean 79th), 9.Elephene Cadet (11.Ricardo Charles 65th), 10.Laonel Saint Preux, 13.Constant Monuma, 15.Pascal Millien, 17.Rubin Garry.

Guyana: - 1.Ronson Williams, 2.Chris Nurse, 3.Howard Lowe (capt), 4.Christopher Bourne, 6.Jake Newton, 7.Dwayne Jacobs, 9.Dwight Peters, 10.Anthony Abrams, (15.Shawn Beveney 69th), 13.Charles Pollard, 14.Sean Cameron (8.Dwayne Ali 76th), 18.Devon Millington (17.Warren Gilkes 82nd).

Referee: - Trevor Taylor (Barbados).

Video: - Highlights.

Standings.

P  W  D  L  F  A  Pts
T&T  1  1  0  0  6  2  3
Guyana 1  0  1  0  0  1
Haiti  1  0  1  0  0  1
St Vincent  1  0  0  1  2  6  0

T&T win group 'F' opener in fine style.
By: Shaun Fuentes (TTFF).

Devon Jorsling blasted a hattrick to power Trinidad and Tobago to a 6-2 victory over St Vincent and the Grenadines in their opening match of Group F action  in the Digicel Caribbean Cup group phase at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium on Tuesday night.

The “Soca Warriors” also got two goals from substitute Kerry Baptiste and an injury time item from Hughtun Hector to silence the Vincentians who had leveled it a 2-2 prior to half time.

The win was just what head coach Russell Latapy and the T&T faithful were hoping for and should do some convincing to the fans to turn out in larger numbers for Thursday’s second encounter against Guyana which battled to a 0-0 draw with Haiti in the opening match of the double header.

The Vincentians showed their intent from the first whistle and almost scored in the opening minute. Nineteen-year-old Soca Warriors left-back Joevin Jones gave away the ball and almost allowed St Vincent & the Grenadines the perfect start.

The ball was swung into the six yard box where Trinidad & Tobago based San Juan Jabloteh striker Shandel Samuel hit the ball off the body of T&T goalie Jan Michael Williams who positioned himself well, Digicelfootball.com wrote.

A minute later, Trinidad & Tobago were ahead at 1-0 through Jorsling, who found the right corner with a low left-footer from just outside the penalty area.

It was an interception from the young right back who played a casual pass across the defense that gave the T&T striker the chance. Unfortunate for the defender but Jorsling did not have to be asked twice.

The teams were level at 1-1 in the 21st Minute when Shandel Samuel capitalised on a mix-up between keeper Jan Michael Williams and his keeper Kern Cupid.

The keeper got caught in no man’s land and Samuel kept his composure to stroke the ball past him into the unguarded net.

The home support became restless during this stage of the match when a number of passes went astray from the Soca Warriors.

However, Jorsling calmed the nerves when he restored Trinidad & Tobago’s lead at 2-1 in the 35th minute.

He collected the ball just outside the penalty area from a stray shot, he showed great strength to hold off his marker and fired a low shot that fizzed past goalie Dwayne Sandy.

But once again, SVG were level when an errant header from T&T central defender Julius James found Cornelius Stewart who had a two vs two situation, he took the responsibility, developed a shooting angle and without hesitation drove the ball to the back of the net from about twenty yards out.

The home support was again stunned to silence as the teams headed to the half-time break level at two goals each.

SVG coach Samuel Carrington would have been more pleased than his T&T counterpart Russell Latapy at the end of the first half. In the pre-match press conference on Monday Latapy had urged the T&T public to be patient with his strategy, and if ever there was a time this was required it was now.

For a ten minute spell in the 2nd half the Soca Warriors managed to blitz the Vincentians with three goals which settled this exciting tie.

It started in the 57th minute, when with just his second touch since coming for Jamaal Gay, striker Kerry Baptiste applied a delicate touch to a cross from right midfielder Lester Peltier to stir the ball past the Vincentian keeper, Dwayne Sandy.

It would have been hard to imagine for the home supporters but St. Vincent again responded and came so close to another equalizer.  From a corner kick they had an effort cleared off the line by the T&T defender guarding the near post. It could have been all very different had this gone in.

The 3-2 lead was further extended when T&T broke forward from that corner kick, when the ball found its way to Jorsling, he smashed a thunderous shot from outside the penalty area which went in off the underside of the crossbar, a spectacular 3rd for Jorsling and a great display of clinical finishing on the night.

Baptiste then got a second in the 66th minute by netting the rebound after goalie Sandy could only parry a hot shot from a Hughtun Hector free kick. And Hector rounded off the scoring himself by putting in a free-kick in the 90th minute.

While it appears a comfortable win for the Soca Warriors there were warning signs, they will need to tidy up some of their defensive play in order to ensure they qualify to Martinique for the Digicel Cup Finals. One would expect that they will have two slightly tougher contests on Thursday and Saturday.

Latapy wants more heavy scoring.
By Ian Prescott (T&T Express).

GOAL HUNGER

"I prefer to be on the offence, to go and score goals and win games, " said Russell Latapy, Trinidad and Tobago's senior men's national football team head coach following the Soca Warriors' 6-2 victory over St Vincent and the Grenadines in their opening Group F Digicel Caribbean Cup qualifying match on Tuesday night at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella.

The words of the former Porto and Glasgow Rangers midfielder may be an ominous sign for Guyana, who the Soca Warriors play today in the second round of the series.

Day two begins with 2007 Caribbean champions Haiti facing the wounded SVG team at 5 p.m., while at 7.30 p.m. Guyana face hosts T&T.

Latapy had mixed emotions concerning the victory over the Vincey Heat.

"Most importantly for us, was to get the result," Latapy said. "We got that result today by four, five goals at the end. In terms of performance, I thought we had a better second half than we did first half. There were too many defensive lapses in the first half and we were able to rectify some of that in the second half. All in all, it is the start we wanted. "

"The plan basically is to score more goals," Latapy said of the next two matches against Guyana and Haiti. "They look like two well-organised teams. We played a match recently against Guyana not so long over there, and we got a draw. I do not want to give too much away, but we playing at home and we will want to play attractive football and score goals."

On Tuesday night, St Vincent and the Grenadines played tough , until T&T pulled clear with four second half goals. Three came off the boot of left-footed striker Devon Jorsling (second, 35th, 59th), while Kerry Baptiste (57th & 67th) also got a brace after he replaced Jamal Gay up front.

Midfielder Hughtun Hector replaced Trent Noel in central midfield in the second half and immediately made an impact from two free-kicks. His first proved too hot for SVG keeper Dwayne Sandy who spilled the ball, giving Baptiste his second goal. And Hector also got on the scoresheet himself in the 90th minute from another sizzling free-kick.

SVG ended the first half level at 2-2 by capitalising on two defensive errors.

In fact, the Soca Warriors almost conceded a goal in the opening seconds, but were ahead in the second minute through Jorsling's low left-footer to the right corner.

Trinidad & Tobago-based San Juan Jabloteh striker Shandel Samuel then had SVG level at 1-1 in the 28th minute, striking into an open net after a mix-up between T&T goalie Jan Michael Williams and right-back Kern Cupid.

Jorsling struck again for the Soca Warriors in the 35th with a low right-footer from outside the penalty area, but on the stroke of half-time Cornelius Stewart (45th) finished powerfully to pull SVG level at 2-2, after intercepting an errant header from T&T central defender Julius James.

T&T blew their opponents away during a 10 minute second half spell which produced three goals. First, Baptiste put a delicate finish onto a low cross into the box from right-midfielder Lester "Corn Curls" Peltier in the 57th minute.

Two minutes later, Jorsling made it 4-2 when his long-range shot went in off the underside of the crossbar, and Baptiste (67th) scored into an unguarded net after Hector's powerful free-kick was not held by the SVG goalie. Hector then completed the slaughter from the free-kick in the final minute.