It was a long journey from deep south for most at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella yesterday.
But for the players and fans of Fyzabad Composite, it was a memorable journey.
Captain Leeson Quashie lifted the RBTT South Zone Intercol trophy last evening after a final in which his team beat fellow first-time finalists Vessigny Secondary 1-0.
Bevon Bass placed his name in school folklore with an 80th minute header which eventually guaranteed Fyzabad their first bit of silverware at senior level.
The players let everyone know it, jumping around, doing somersaults and celebrating in front of their equally ecstatic supporters and their feverish rhythm section.
No one could begrudge them their success at the end of a run that had seen them knock off the defending champions Naparima College in the semi-finals.
Yesterday, against Vessigny, "Fyzo" were rewarded for their greater industry.
Perhaps no one symbolised the Fyzabad ethic more than their mop-haired, right side midfielder Andy Alves, chipping triumphantly towards the crowd, the trophy held above his head at the end.
Efficient with his tackling, strong on the ball and with an eye for a good pass, he more than anyone kept Fyzo moving forward, forcing the Vessigny boys to constantly defend their territory.
Vessigny, who finished seventh in the League, just below Fyzabad, could produce no one of similar quality.
It was not a match where the passes flowed-that's not the strength of these teams. In fact, finding a path to goal seemed the secret of the ages.
So, at half time, Fyzabad had nothing to show for their general dominance.
The second period followed the same pattern. Vessigny tried to change the tempo, quickly introducing their energetic attacker Tsion Thomas.
The player to make the greatest impact, though, was Bass. Not surprisingly, from a set-play.
The second of two successive left-side corners found him, after Vessigny goalkeeper Kona Modeste left his line but fatally failed to get his gloves on the ball, which Bass met with his head and directed into the bottom right-hand corner of the net.
Only ten minutes were left in the match. But Vessigny then seemed sufficiently motivated to apply real pressure. That they did not manage at least an equaliser, not even they will be able to explain.
In two crazy sequences, their strikers traded shots and parries with Fyzabad keeper Adrian Toussaint.
In the first instance, Toussaint's poor handling of a Kurt Williams free kick let in Thomas, who just had to tap in, but he hit against Toussaint's body. Again and again!
In the second case, perilously near the end, the ball flew back and forth across the Fyzabad six-metre box, pin-ball style, with the keeper a spectator, but again, the Vessigny boys could not force it over the line.
Mercifully for the fellows in red and black, the final whistle came soon after that mad melee. Their hard labour was over, the trophy was theirs.
The "Fyzo" fete could now start, and go all the way back to Charlie King Junction.
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