Inexperienced Speyside goalkeeper Jonathan Thomas received a baptism of fire at the St Mary’s College Ground, St Clair, yesterday when he had six goals hammered past him in a 6-0 win for St Mary’s College over his team in the Premier Division of the Secondary Schools Football League.
In spite of this result and others around the league, Presentation College, San Fernando, maintained their top position on the standings with a come from behind 2-1 victory over Queen’s Royal College (QRC) at Guaracara Park, Point-A-Pierre. The win moves Pres to 22 points.
Previous leaders Shiva Boys Hindu College shared the points in a 2-2 draw with St Anthony’s College at Westmoorings to remain in fourth on 17 points while the Tigers dropped to third after Naparima shot-out Signal Hill 2-0 to move to second 20 with points.
At Serpentine Road in St Clair, Thomas found himself on the wrong side of an excellent display by the home team. Under stormy conditions, his team was in early trouble when striker Tyrese Spicer was put through a shaky Speyside defence in the 2nd minute, but lifted the ball over the crossbar before Thomas could reach him.
However, two minutes later Spicer made amends when speedy winger Nathaniel Williams stormed down the right flank and sent in a cross which Thomas parried into the path of Spicer for the game’s opening goal.
The Saints who struggled to find their form this season, got their second goal in the 15th minute when play-maker Gabriel Nanton threaded a ball through to Trey La Motte who beat the on-rushing Thomas with a grounder to the far post to spark wild celebrations.
Speyside had hardly recovered when the Saints got their third goal, courtesy La Motte. This time the talented St Mary’s striker benefited from a defensive blunder inside the area and with Thomas racing out to prevent further damage, La Motte fired it past him to the bottom right hand corner in the 16th minute.
Speyside, who earned promotion to the top flight division after an impressive display last year, had their key marksmen, brothers Kern and Kerry Mc Donald bugged down by a steady CIC defence as they trailed 0-3 at the end of the half.
Matters got progressively worst afterwards, when defender Seon Melville turned Williams’ right side cross past his own goalie for a 4-0 CIC advantage in the 55th minute. The Saints, who mounted more than 30 attacks on the Speyside goal area, were themselves guilty of leniency, or otherwise the scoreline may well have been in double digits.
Substitute Devon Charles completed the rout with goals in the 81st and 90th minute. First he darted in to head a left-side cross over a stranded Thomas, and later Charles received a pin-point cross from the left, which he quickly collected and slotted past the goalie.
(Teams - by wired868.com)
St Anthony’s College (4-2-3-1): 22.Oba Augustin (GK); 18.Shakir Clapham, 4.Nkosi Salandy, 27.Derron John, 6.Khiesa Granger; 23.Sowande Prieto (7.Krishon Alexander 70), 5.Jesse Williams; 11.Haile Beckles (8.Jodel Brown 63), 9.Che Benny, 10.Tyrese Bailey; 19.Jaydon Prowell.
Unused Substitutes: 1.Jabari Brice (GK), 25.Elijah Shade (GK), 13.Quinn Frederick, 21.Jameiq Pierre, 30.Shurland Augustine.
Coach: Ronald Daniel
Shiva Boys HC (4-2-3-1): 22.Denzil Smith (GK) (13.Akiel Henry (GK) 47); 16.Simeon De Bourgh, 19.Yohannes Richardson, 5.Anderson Peters, 14.Matthew Beal; 10.Judah Garcia (captain), 15.Kierron Mason; 17.Ronaldo Edwards (24.Jabari Graham 90), 8.Jude Phillip (11.Junior Asson 67), 7.Quinn Rodney; 9.Tyrell Baptiste.
Unused Substitutes: 2.Atiba Lewis, 21.Aaron Rodney, 23.Jeremy Williams, 32.Ronald Charles.
Coach: Hayden Ryan
Referee: Larry Lalchan
Wired868 Man-of-the-Match: Oba Augustin (St Anthony’s College)
SSFL Premier Division results
(Saturday 7 October)
St Anthony’s College 2 (Tyrese Bailey 11, Nkosi Salandy 43), Shiva Boys HC 2 (Quinn Rodney 4, Tyrel Baptiste 7) at Westmoorings;
St Mary’s College 6 (Tyrese Spicer 4, Trey La Motte 15, 16, Seon Melville OG 53, Devon Charles 81, 90+3), Speyside High 0 at St Mary’s;
Signal Hill 0, Naparima College 2 (Ronaldo McIntosh 23, 35) at Signal Hill;
St Benedict’s College 2 (Reuel Tyson 63, Kyjuan Sampson 71), Fyzabad Secondary 0 at Barrackpore;
Presentation (San F’do) 2 (Jordan Riley 71, Darnell Hospedales 73), QRC 1 (Miguel Williams 39) at Guaracara Park;
St Augustine Secondary v Trinity College Moka, St Augustine - DNP
Trinity College East v Fatima College, Trincity - DNP
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