St Mary's College can finally breathe a sigh of relief after they surprised rivals Queen's Royal College (QRC) which defeated them 1-0 Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) which ended on Monday.
On Thursday, the 'Saints' as they are known, pulled off a shocking upset 3-1 victory in the North Zone of the Coca Cola InterCol play-off at Fatima College Ground, Mucurapo. The rivalry between the teams usually means much more than the fame of a piece of silverware, and with more than 10 losses to their name, as well as the heartbreak of being relegated from the Premier Division this season, the Saints might feel now they have received the impetus to go on.
Jamel Dorsity took more than 45 minutes to open the St Mary's account in the second period of play, and with QRC offering very little resistance for the past few matches, the Saints duly sealed the win with goals from Tyrique Huggins in the 76th and Harrison Parks in the 80th.
The Royalians have now lost their last three matches, as disciplinary concerns took centre stage, and the grit that elevated them to the fifth position on the standings earlier in the season was sadly lacking.
St Mary's manager Junior Maxwell said they are relieved with the result, as it was an indication they were always capable of much more than they displayed at the Premiership.
The Saints which were demoted to the SSFL Championship Division after 12 losses, one win and a draw, will now play the winner of the Fatima College and East Mucurapo encounter, which is set to take place Tuesday.
In another match at St Mary's Ground, Malick got a goal apiece from Zion Carpette and Nickel Alexander to shut-out Trinity Moka 2-1, while in the sister isle of Tobago, Speyside got a hat-trick from Jelani James to spearhead his team to an 8-0 rout of Roxborough Secondary at the Plymouth Recreation Ground.
Still, coach Kerry Lynch was less than impressed, saying his team played relaxed, or else the score would have been much wider. Apart from James' items, Speyside also got goals from C'el Toppin, Kern Mc Donald, Adriel George, Deleon Beckles and Kael Moore in the win.
RESULTS
CIC 3 (Jamel Dorsity, Tyrique Huggins, Harrison Parks) vs QRC 1
Malick 2 (Zion Carpette, Nickel Alexander) vs Trinity Moka 0
Speyside 8 (Jelani James 3, C'el Toppin, Kern Mc Donald, Adriel George, Deleon Beckles, Kael Moore) vs Roxborough 1
Mason Hall 2 vs Goodwood Secondary 2 (Goodwood prevailed 4-3 PK)
SOURCE: T&T Guardian