STOKELY Vale of Plymouth finished the first half of the Digicel Premier Division of the Tobago Football Association (TFA) with an outstanding performance against defending champions Georgia United at the Dwight Yorke Stadium (DYS), Bacolet on Wednesday night to go three points clear at the top.
Stokely Vale's recent run of form has relegated previous leaders Earlbrokes (21) to second berth after they made all the running for the first nine matches.
After setting a hot pace at the start of the campaign with six consecutive wins, Earlbrokes have run cold in their last five games and have collected just two out of a possible15 points without scoring a goal, while conceding nine.
On the other side, the new leaders worked their way up the standings from tenth spot to claim the high ground in fine fashion.
Along the way, the Plymouth squad established a record of five wins and a draw to surge to the top of the pile and stay in contention for end-of-season spoils.
Four different players hit the mark for them in their latest win. They were Jell Trotman, Clevon Edwards, Akil Thomas and Stephen Bonas.
Stokely Vale are seeking to win back the title which they lost to the Mt St George -based Georgia (13 points) last season.
The reigning champs are down in seventh spot on the table via a superior goal difference over Roxborough Lakers and Bethel United.
Both Lakers and Bethel played to a 2-2 draw in the opening contest of the doubleheader. A Devon Edwards strike and an own goal made up the two items for Bethel, while Sellon Gray and Kirn Harris were the providers for Lakers.
However, there is one more match-up to complete the first round. That affair is between sixth placed Charlotteville Unifiers (15 points) and bottom team Federal Northside FC.
Unifiers are expected to win that contest and move up the standings into joint fourth spot with Hills United, who have 18 points.
Meanwhile, teams in the Premier Division and the Conference of the TFA will now shift their focus to the FA Cup knockout competition which kicks off on Wednesday at various venues in Tobago. Lakers are the title holders in that competition.