Midfielder Troy Thompson scored two goals as St Anthony’s College overcame some early pressure from Vessigny Government Secondary to romp to a 5-0 win in the Secondary Schools Football League National RBTT Inter-Col final.
With the win at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo yesterday, the “Westmoorings Tigers” claimed their third straight lien on the national title and fourth in school history, to join San Fernando Technical (1969- 72) and Signal Hill Senior Comprehensive (1987 -1989) as the only teams to win the crown three or more times in-a-row.
St Anthony’s also won the title in 1997.
Having beaten Princes Town, St Benedict’s College and Mucurapo Senior Comprehensive on their way to the final Vessigny had high hopes of pulling off another upset.
But in the end costly mistakees and the work-man like effort of the Tigers midfielder quartet of Thompson, Hans Rogers, Kevon Neaves and Jamal Wiggins proved to much to overcome.
Thompson got his team off to a dream start, when he slotted a penalty into the bottom right hand corner past goalkeeper Kona Modeste in the fourth minute.
The penalty came when referee Noel Bynoe signalled for a foul on Johnathan Glen by Vessigny defender Anderson Henry.
Despite the early goal, Vessigny settled quickly and had it not been for some good reflex saves from Tigers custodian Kegan Davidson, the Howard Spencer coach southerners could have taken a surprise lead.
Davidson first denied Timmy Hernandez, with a one-hand save from five yards, after a powerful header from a Philvaughn Jones corner took a deflection off the back of two Tigers defenders.
Jones again wasted a chance to get his team on level terms in the 15th minute, when he blasted a right footer straight at Davidson, from less than four yards.
The “Tigers” now with a little more urgency in their game, made Vessigny pay for missed efforts, when striker Akil De Freitas toe -poked the ball past a stranded Modeste from the six-yard line, after some tricky work by captain Neaves on the left flank.
Davidson was again called into action in the 25th minute, to parry away a drive from Hernandez, from 35-yards.
Two minutes later, the match was virtually put out of Vessigny’s reach with the Tigers third goal off the boot of Rogers.
Unmarked on the Vessigny right flank, Rogers ran onto a though ball from Neaves to lob goalkeeper Modeste.
Defender Shirvhon Abraham tried his best to clear the ball on the line, but only succeeded in blasting it into the roof of the net as his team went into the interval 3-0 down.
Vessigny started the second-half with the same fight as in the first 45 minutes, but once again poor finishing proved foiled the effort.
An alert Jones robbed St Anthony’s defender Kareem Freitas of the ball just outside the 18-yard box, but instead of taking the ball towards goal, he tried his luck from long range, which gave no trouble to Davidson.
The Tigers also created an opening through second-half substitute Kwesi Thomas in the 52nd, but he too failed to beat Modeste from close range.
Neaves, a tormentor in the Vessigny’s defence all afternoon finally got his name on the score-sheet when his long range grounder, slipped through the hands of a dejected Modeste in the 68th minute.
And following some near misses by Yohance Marshall, Thompson rounded off the scoring with a 20-yard free-kick that beat a four-man wall and skidded under the arms of Modeste, this after Neaves had skimmed the cross-bar with a 25-yard left footed drive.
Yesterday’s National RBTT Inter-Col result:
St Anthony’s 5 (Troy Thompson 4th-pen, 90th, Akil De Freitas 21st, Hans Rogers 21st, Kevon Neaves 68th) vs Vessigny 0.
Teams:
St Anthony’s:
Kegan Davidson (Jesse Fullerton 85th); Kareem Freitas, Andre Sebro, Andre Ferreira, Jamal Wigging; Hans Rogers, Troy Thompson, Kevon Neaves (capt), Akil De Freitas; Daniel Highly (Yohance Marshall 75th), Johnathan Glen (Kwesi Thomas 46th).
Subs not used:
Frank Dinzey, Keron Sutton, Manuel Rezende, Matthew Burke.
Vessigny:
Kona Modeste; Curtan Hendy, Anderson Harry, Khalil Commissiong, Shirvon Abraham; Kwade Paul (capt), Kiel Williams (Travis Joseph 64th), Alvin Alexander, Timmy Hernandez; Philvaughn Jones (Juval Daniel 64th), Tsion Thomas (Karym Balthazar 77th).
Subs not used:
Dirron Smart, Meshack Lambert Davidson Hector, Kyle Blackman.
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