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Barataria Anglican squeezed into the November 19 final of the Atlantic Primary Schools Football League on Thursday after edging Dinsley Government 4-3 on kicks from the penalty spot when the Trinidad leg climaxed at the Centre of Excellence, Macoya.

After a goalless scoreline at regulation time, the youngsters were forced to decide their respective fates via a penalty shootout, which Barataria emerged on the victorious end. Having topped their district, St George’s East, and topped the field over a lengthy list of Trinidadian teams, Barataria Anglican will now square off in the finals against the winner of the Tobago zone. 

In his first year as team head coach, Robert Jacob, expressed elation with his team’s progress and is intent on going all the way to capture this year’s coveted crown. Backed by assistant coach, Christian Phillip, the duo remains optimistic in their youthful school team. 

“This is my first year in charge of the team and they have played well throughout the tournament so far,” said Jacob yesterday. “This school has previously won their District but I don’t think they’ve ever reached this far in the competition. 

If they go on to win, it would really be a great achievement for the school and the boys especially. They have worked very hard this season and they deserve to win.” However, Jacob, who is also a teacher at the institution, admitted that Tobago have been known to produce strong opposition and they will be approaching the final with caution. 

“The sister-isle has a great history of producing powerful teams and we are fully aware of that and respect them. We respect whoever we’re going to play but we want to win the title. We are the ‘Cinderella’ story of this league and being crowned champions will cap off a great season for us,” he concluded.