THE second edition of the Trinidad and Tobago Premier Football League (TTPFL) kicked off on Friday with a promise of more action, thrills and spills.
Last season, the league enticed excitement, anxiety and even heartbreak down to the final match of the campaign with Defence Force clinching the title over AC Port of Spain in a top-of-the-table clash.
This season, for the first time in the Premier League Tier 1, there will be a team from Tobago. Having won the Tier 2 division of the TTPFL, Tobago Phoenix will compete in the top flight and bring a new dimension to a league that previously consisted of only Trinidad teams.
They were outnumbered in the same way in the second division, but that did not hinder their success. Phoenix won the league’s regular season without loss – amassing 24 points from ten matches, winning seven and drawing three. They then won their playoff semifinal against Harlem Strikers on penalties before defeating Petit Valley/Diego Martin United 2-1 in the final.
Promotion and relegation were not a part of the league’s system last season. However, Phoenix, as Tier 2 winners, were granted a special exemption following the temporary withdrawal of W Connection from the competition.
They will be the first Tobago team to play in the nation’s top flight since the now defunct Tobago United did in the former T&T Pro League. Tobago United were perennial table proppers and failed to make an impact in the Pro League. They were known as the league’s “whipping boys”, with teams regularly running up double digits in goals against them.
However, Phoenix will be aiming to give a better account of Tobago and represent with pride.
Phoenix coach, Nigel De Souza, is adamant that his team are not in the league to make up numbers.
In an interview with Newsday, De Souza said, “We understand the task at hand and the difficulty that comes with making this step up. We are prepared tactically, physically and mentally to handle the rigours of Tier 1, and we are looking forward to the challenge.”
He then jokingly said that his team’s goal is to not be the “whipping boys” of the league, which is the bare minimum of their objectives for the season. He added, “We need to get in and play the first couple of games to feel the tempo and rhythm (of the league) and then, after three games, we can make adjustments if we need to.
“We want to finish as high as possible. I’ve been in football long enough to know that many things can happen. Our team is confident, but we will be taking things one step at a time, game by game.”
“It’s important to get that first win as early as possible. Once we get that winning taste, it will be key for us. We are not here to finish bottom of the league.”
Newsday also spoke with Phoenix’s general manager, Huey Cadette, and captain, Javon “Pokemon” Williams, and they shared the same sentiment as the head coach along with a desire to, one day, compete for a place in Concacaf (the Concacaf Caribbean Cup or Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield, which will lead to qualification for the Concacaf Champions Cup).
“I am elated and cautiously optimistic towards this big step,” Cadette said. “Our main objective is to give a good account of ourselves. We will try to aim for mid-table or above, that is a realistic objective for us in this first year.”
Williams, 23, has been on the Phoenix senior team since he was 16. He said, “Don’t count out Phoenix! We red and we ready!”
He continued, “The goal is to be in the top half of the table. The guys really want to achieve this and we have been working hard to do so.”
Phoenix has the one of the youngest squads in the Premier League, with an average of 24 years old. However, with seasoned players such as Michael Jem Gordon, they will have the required tools to accomplish their mission.
Gordon was Phoenix’s top scorer in Tier 2, netting eight goals in ten matches. The lethal striker may be key in the team’s Tier 1 campaign.
1976 Phoenix is expected to add a new dimension to the top flight. Phoenix were proudly supported by their fans and community in Tier 2, and even attracted greater crowds in Trinidad than most of the Trinidadian teams.
The club is loved and adored by the people of Canaan and wider Tobago, and the TTPFL is expected to enjoy that Tobago love.
Cadette said, “(Phoenix and its supporters) will bring our passion (to the league). Tobagonians are very passionate about sport and we always come out in large numbers, especially if we are at home, and that would translate on to the field and you will see it in our play.”
De Souza believes their inclusion is a plus. “You can’t have a Trinidad and Tobago Premier League without a Tobago team. Tobago brings a different kind of community and a different atmosphere to the football. The island of Tobago is excited and there is a buzz from the locals to see a Tobago team back (in the top flight) as a full Tobago squad.”
Phoenix have a baptism of fire in their debut on November 24 against the champions, Defence Force. The “Teteron Boys” are loaded with current and former national players who have a vast amount of experience.
De Souza said, “We expected to get Defence Force as our first game. But there is nothing better than playing a game like this. I’ve never coached a game where I thought that I couldn’t win. So we will be tactically smart and try to take our chances when we get them.”
SOURCE: T&T Newsday
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