Bmobile Joe Public lifted their second trophy in less than a week on Tuesday night when they held W Connection to a goalless draw in the final matchday of the 2009 Digicel Pro League and Big Six.
The draw secured the Lions place at the top of the Big Six table with 11 points to lift the title.
The Marvin Lee Stadium--home of Joe Public--was blessed with its second professional title following Saturday's lifting of the Digicel Pro League championship by the Derek King coached Lions.
The draw also saw the Macoya based club finish the League championship with 52 points.
And in other matches defending League and Big Six champions San Juan Jabloteh secured second spot with 48 points following a 1-0 win against Ma Pau SC at the Ato Boldon, and Caledonia AIA of Morvant/Laventille had to settle for third with 47 points despite a 2-0 win over Defence Force.
Ma Pau finished fifth and Defence Force sixth both failing to make huge impressions in the Big Six stage of the League Championship.
In the feature match with the Big Six title up for grabs, eventual winners Joe Public and W Connection managed only a stalemate.
Trent Noel had a clear look at goal in the 20th minute after Hayden Tinto cross found him lurking at far side, but after a good take-down his volleyed effort disappointed everyone as it sailed high and wide.
Six minutes later Joe Public was awarded freekick just outside the area after Kerry Baptiste went under a challenge by Renato Pereira, however the resulting kick by Noel crashed into the wall and out for a corner.
Public had another attempt on goal in the 36th minute when Tinto unleashed a crack from outside the which was just wide after knocking a one-two with Baptiste.
Yu Hoshide also got into the action just before the halftime whistle forcing a tip behind by Miguel Lloyd after hooking a rebound on goal.
Joe Public continued to press for the opening item in the second half and were inches off in the 49th minute when Kareem Young controlled and unleashed a volley from above the area after Baptiste's corner was cleared out by the Connection defence.
Hoshide later pulled out a save from Lloyd in the 55th minute as the 2009 League champions continued failing to convert.
Connection then finally showed some intent in the 62nd minute when substitute Hughtun Hector unleashed a freekick from distance which was matched by a pushover by Alejandro Figueroa.
And the resulting corner taken by Hector was directed into the side netting by the head of Kern Cupid.
Minutes later Baptiste had a chance to really put his side ahead, however the Pro League leading goalscorer with 34 goals muffed at close range making his effort an easy gather for Miguel Lloyd.
Both sides continued their poor finishing as the match looked destined for a deadlock at the end.
Hector was inches wide of the upright in the 78th minute after receiving a short pass by Jose Luis Seabra just above the area.
Teams
Joe Public-Alejandro Figueroa, Kerry Baptiste (capt) (Yellow), Seon Power, Keyeno Thomas, Carlyle Mitchell (Yellow), Keion Goodridge, Kareem Young, Trent Noel, Yu Hoshide (Devon Leacock 74th), Micah Lewis (Conrad Smith 64th) (Kareem Moses 90th), Hayden Tinto.
Coach-Derek King.
W Connection-Miguel Lloyd, Elijah Joseph (capt) (Yellow), Kern Cupid, Renato Pereira, Jose Carlos Diaz (Christian Viveros 64th), Jonathan Frias (Matthew Bartholomew 46th), Romauld Aguillera, Jose Luis Seabra, Keryn Navarro, Igor Santos (William Da Silva Oliveira 74th), Gerard Williams.
Coach-Stuart Charles Fevrier.
Big Six Results
Joe Public 0-0 W Connection
Defence Force 0-2 Caledonia AIA
Keon Daniel 2'(pen), Akim Armstrong 80'
San Juan Jabloteh 1-0 Ma Pau SC
Jason Marcano 24'
Eastern Lions add Big Six crown.
...Jabloteh gets second CFU spot
By: Nigel Simon (T&T Guardian).
Newly-crowned Digicel Pro League champion, bmobile Joe Public grabbed its second title in four days after it dethroned Clico San Juan Jabloteh as “Big Six” winner via a 0-0 draw with W Connection on Tuesday. This was in the final round of matches in the “Big Six” competition at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya.
Having won the league crown after a 1-1 draw with Caledonia AIA of Morvant/Laventille on Saturday at the same venue, “Eastern Lions” coach Derek King and his players returned to their “Macoya Den” with the hope of another title. And, after a tense but entertaining 90 minutes of football, it was the Kerry Baptiste-captained team which was popping champagne like it was going out of style once more.
Joe Public, which started the night with ten points from four matches, needed only a draw to claim the Big Six title while W Connection (eight points) was in a must win situation. Both teams started slowly with goalkeepers, Miguel Lloyd (W Connection) and Alejandro Figueroa (Joe Public) having little work to do in a 0-0 first half despite some attractive build-up play.
But that was interrupted most times by some crunching tackles, with Jonathan Fana Frias of W Connection being the recipient of the majority which eventually led to his substitution at the break. Four minutes into the second half though, Joe Public came within inches of finding an opener when midfielder Kareem Young controlled and volleyed just over the bar from the edge of the 18-yard box, after W Connection failed to clear a Baptiste corner.
The “Eastern Lions” marshalled by Young, Trent Noel, Hayden Tinto and Yu Hoshide in midfield continued to put W Connection under pressure and in the 55th minute came close to finding an opener again.
This time it was Japanese import Hoshide who forced Lloyd into a stunning one handed save high to his right. At the other end of the field, W Connection, which had looked dangerous in the first half through strikers, Jose Carlos Diaz and Frias, finally showed some intent in the 62nd minute when substitute Hughtun Hector unleashed a 35-yard freekick which was tipped over bar by Figueroa.
Both team’s continued with the off-key shooting on the night with Hector having another try on goal for W Connection, which also missed the target, as the match dwindled to a tame draw.
For the Joe Public players, it was their third title in the Pro League this season, having also copped the Reserve Division crown. The lone disappointment for Baptiste on the night was that he failed to get the two goals required to equal Jerren Nixon’s record of 36 goals scored for North East Stars in 2004.
On Sunday, Joe Public had also won the bmobile National Super League $120,000 top prize. At the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva, Jabloteh, winner of the league for the previous two years, ended in second spot in both the league and Big Six competitions thanks to a 1-0 win over Ma Pau, which ended fifth only in its second year in the top flight.
Jason Marcano was the scorer for Jabloteh, which will join Joe Public as T&T’s representatives in the Caribbean Football Union Club Championship, from which the top three teams qualify for the Concacaf Champions League.
In Tuesday’s other match, Caledonia blanked an under-strength Defence Force 2-0 with Keon Daniel and Akim Armstrong scoring on either side of the half.
Tuesday’s Results
Caledonia 2 (Keon Daniel 2nd pen, Akim Armstrong 80th) vs Defence Force 0
Joe Public 0 vs W Connection 0.
Jabloteh 1 (Jason Marcano 24th) vs Ma Pau 0.
Top scorers
34 Kerry Baptiste (Joe Public)
16 Keyon Edwards (Caledonia)
13 Devon Jorsling (Defence Force)
11 Kevon Carter (Defence Force)
10 Jonathan Frias (W Connection)
9 Anthony Wolfe (Ma Pau), Arnold Dwarika (Petrotrin)