It’s settled. The Shell/First Citizens Secondary Schools Football League title will remain in south Trinidad this year.
Shiva Boys Hindu College are flying high and just a win away from their first-ever title. However, San Fernando giants, Naparima and Presentation Colleges, are the only teams who can catch them.
The odds are heavily in Shiva’s favour, as they have 31 points and they would have to drop points in their next two outings —to Pleasantville Secondary and Fatima College—for their rivals to pull the rug from underneath them.
Both Naparima and Presentation are locked on 26 points, with the former enjoying a plus-13 goal differential that has them in second spot.
“Naps” face East Mucurapo Secondary and then St Augustine Secondary; “Pres” must play St Mary’s College and then Pleasantville Secondary; if either of them were to win both their matches and Shiva fail to win, Shiva would drop into third.
Shiva coach Hayden Ryan speaking to the Express yesterday, preferred not to hype up the occasion too much.
“We fear no-one, but we respect everyone,” he said. “We prepared for the game, and we’ll go out and see how it goes tomorrow. We said earlier in the tournament that we felt that we turned the corner. We found our way, everyone start feeling it—you could have felt it in the camp. So that hasn’t changed, we’re confident, but at the same time we respect everyone and we’ll go out tomorrow and see how it goes.”
Other noteworthy clashes today include the relegation-threatened teams.
Pleasantville are in 13th place and must go for a win against Shiva. With the league-leaders needing the points to take the title, it should be a cracker.
Fatima entertain Trinity College and must beat their North Zone rivals to climb out of the drop zone. The Moka boys are already safe with 15 points.
St Benedict’s College need to follow up their first win of the season on Wednesday against St Anthony’s College with two more, to stand a chance of staying in the Premier Division. They face a tough Signal Hill team, however, and finish off at Moka on Wednesday.
Out of the title race, St Anthony’s College travel to Bourg Mulatresse to face a struggling San Juan North Secondary, while Queen’s Royal College have to win against Fyzabad Secondary to stay in the top flight.
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