La Horquetta Rangers’ lanky striker Ataulla Guerra was again on the scoresheet for his team in a comfortable 4-0 win over Point Fortin Civic at the La Horquetta Recreation Ground in Phase II, La Horquetta, as his team cemented the second place position on the T&T Premier Football League table after Saturday’s round of matches.
Meanwhile, Defence Force, the multiple-time title winners in local football made their presence known with a more-than-convincing 5-0 demolition of Morvant Caledonia United in the opening match of a doubleheader at the St James Barracks on Long Circular Road on Sunday.
Hitman Brent Sam led the Army Coast-Guard Combination team with a hat-trick coming in the 11th, 36th and 60th minute.
With the Morvant men providing very little to no resistance, Kendell Hitlal got an early opener for the Defence Force in the 2nd minute.
And after Sam’s heroics, Josiah Superville shut the door close on the Caledonia men with the fifth goal of the game in the 84th minute.
On Saturday in the second match of a doubleheader, Guerra netted in the 68th minute to push his tally for the season to nine goals at the top of the leaderboard. His item followed goals by Tyrone Charles in the 26th minute, an own goal from Shaquille Williams in the 31st and Isiah Lee’s in the 92nd minute as they outclassed their southern rivals.
The win puts Rangers five points adrift of leaders AC Port of Spain on 22 points with two games in hand. Guerra has scored in nearly every match played. He has a difference of four goals ahead of AC Port of Spain’s Che Benny, Central FC’s Keron Cummings and Kesean St Rose, John-Paul Rochford (AC Port of Spain), and teammates Isaiah Lee and Tyrone Charles- all of whom are on five goals each.
Meanwhile, Prisons FC moved a point up the standing to eight following a 1-1 tie with Cunupia FC at Arima Velodrome on Saturday. The central men opened the scoring from Ricardo Williams in the 25th minute but it was cancelled out with a Dwight Jordan item in the 70th minute.
Full Results
Club Sando 3 (Alvin Jones 27, Nathaniel James 31, Shervohnez Hamilton 63) vs Central FC 2 (Kadeem Corbin 68, Alvin Jones 70 O-G)
W Connection 1 (Christian Bailey 18) vs AC Port-of-Spain 3 (John-Paul Rochford 3, Duane Muckette 39, Jomoul Francois 52)
La Horquetta Rangers 4 (Tyronne Charles 26, Daniel David 31, Ataulla Guerra 69, Isaiah Lee 92) vs Point Fortin Civic 0
Defence Force 5 (Kendell Hitlal 2, Brent Sam 11, 36, 60, Josiah Superville 84) vs Morvant Caledonia United 0
San Juan Jabloteh 2 (Nical Stephens 74, Dwight Jordan 80) v Police FC 1 (Rakim Cabie 47)
Prisons FC 1 (Shaquille Kervon Ferrier 60) v Cunupia FC 1 (Ricardo Williams 25)
LEADING GOALSCORERS
9- Ataulla Guerra
5- Che Benny, Keron Cummings, Kesean St Rose, John-Paul Rochford, Tyrone Charles, Isaiah Lee.
4- Jameel Neptune (AC PoS), Nicholas Dillon (Club Sando), Dwight Jordan (Jabloteh), Lashawn Roberts (D/Force), Brent Sam (D/Force), Jamoul Francois (AC PoS).
3- Kadeem Corbin (Central FC), Christian Thomas (Police), Anthony Parris (Police), Duane Muckette (AC PoS), Nathaniel James (Club Sando).
2- Jameel Cooper (D/Force), Ricardo Williams (Cunupia FC), Reon Moore (D/Force), Kareem Freitas (Police), Osafa Simpson (Caledonia AIA), Elijah Belgrave (Police), Kadeem Hutchinson (Police FC), Omari Baird (Point Fortin), Hashim Arcia (D/Force), Radanfah Abu Bakr (AC PoS), Malik Mieres (Caledonia), Rhondel Gibson (Cunupia), Isaiah Raymond (Rangers), Real Gill (Rangers), Daniel David (Rangers), Jabari Forbes (Club Sando).
1- Justin Garcia (D/Force), Neil Benjamin (W Connection), Romario Williams (Cunupia), Christian Bailey (W Connection), Russel Alfred (W Connection), Josiah King (Prisons), Maurice Dick (Central FC), Akeem Roach (Central FC), Ross Russell Jr (Rangers), Malachi Celestine (Caledonia), Daneil Cyrus (Central FC), Jabari Mitchell (Police FC), Nathaniel Garcia (Point Fortin), Alvin Jones (Club Sando), Jeremiah Kesar (Point Fortin), Jelani Felix (D/Force), Kern Roberts (Police FC), Jameel Perry (Police FC), Robert Primus (AC PoS), Sean Bonval (Caledonia), Brandon Semper (Caledonia), Ramario Burke (Caledonia), Shervohnez Hamilton (Club Sando), Michel Poon Angeron (AC PoS), Kareem Riley (Club Sando), Josiah Cooper (Club Sando), Josiah Trimmingham (Club Sando), Carlyle Mitchell (Caledonia), Johnny Britto (Prisons FC), Michael Basdeo (Club Sando), Jaimol Layne (Cunupia), Kevon Williams (Club Sando), Shaquille Ferrier (Prisons FC), Ronell Paul (Point Fortin Civic), Leslie Russell (Rangers), Ricardo John (Central FC), Caleb Sturge (Rangers), Nicholas Dyett (W Connection), Dwight Pope (W Connection), Brian Armstrong (AC PoS), Nical Stephens (Jabloteh), Weslie John (Point Fortin), Anselm Jackson (Central FC), Kaihim Thomas (Rangers), Dantayne Gilbert (Jabloteh), Seon Thomas (Club Sando), Isaiah Hudson (W Connection), Joash Baird (W Connection), Jaydon Powell (AC PoS), Adica Ash (Rangers), Craig Wilson (W Connection), Trevis Byron (Jabloteh)
LEAGUE STANDINGS
Pos*Team*P*W*L*D*GF*GA*GD*Pts
1*Athletic Club POS*10*9*1*0*28*5*23*27
2*Terminix LA Horquetta Rangers*8*7*0*1*31*9*22*22
3*Defence Force FC*9*7*2*0*21*6*15*21
4*Club Sando FC*9*6*1*2*17*10*7*20
5*Central FC*10*5*4*1*19*15*4*16
6*Police FC*8*4*4*0*13*15*-2*12
7*W Connection FC*10*3*6*1*8*15*-7*10
8*Caledonia FC*10*3*5*2*9*22*-13*8
9*Prison FC*10*2*6*2*6*24*-18*8
10*Point Fortin Civic*10*2*7*1*6*13*-7*7
11*Cunupia FC*9*2*6*1*6*17*-11*7
12*San Juan Jabloteh*9*1*7*1*7*20*-13*4
RELATED NEWS
Defence Force's Brent Sam 'tricks' Caledonia.
By Stephon Nicholas (T&T Newsday).
A Brent Sam hat-trick led Defence Force to a 5-0 victory over Morvant Caledonia AIA in muddy conditions on matchday ten of the TT Premier Football League on Sunday. The victory kept Defence Force in third place with 21 points, behind leaders AC Port of Spain (27 points) and Terminix La Horquetta Rangers (22 points). Rangers have played two games less than AC POS while Defence Force have played one game less.
At Police Barracks in St James, a miscued shot from Reon Moore was followed up by Kendell Hitlal who blasted in the opening goal in the second minute.
Moore was finding space down the right and darted down the flank before squaring to Sam whose first-time effort was saved by goalie Jadel Poon-Lewis.
There was nothing Poon-Lewis could do in the 11th when a perfectly weighted cross by Justin Sadoo, on the right, found Sam whose side-footed volley bulged the net.
Sadoo's service again reaped dividends as a 36th minute corner saw Sam ghosting in at the near post to head the ball home.
At the half, Morvant Caledonia enjoyed 58 per cent possession but their opponents were more efficient.
Defence Force had a 10-3 advantage on shots, 6-1 advantage on shots on target, and were 6-0 on corners earned.It was more of the same in the second half with Sam earning his hat-trick in the 60th minute. In slippery conditions, a Morvant Caledonia defender was left on his rear by substitute Josiah Superville who squared to Sam in the penalty box to make it 4-0.
Superville and Sadoo connected well down the right in the 83rd, and the former showed determination to get on the end of a through pass and place a low shot past Poon-Lewis for the fifth goal.
In matches on Saturday, La Horquetta Rangers, the only unbeaten team in the league, crushed Point Fortin Civic 4-0 at La Horquetta Grounds.
A long-range screamer by Tyrone Charles got the ball rolling for the hosts in the 26th, and Daniel David made it 2-0 in the 31st.
Second-half goals from Ataulla Guerra (69th) and Isaiah Lee in stoppage time capped a dominant performance.
In the earlier match at the same venue, league leaders AC Port of Spain maintained winning ways with a 3-1 result over W Connection. John-Paul Rochford opened the scoring the in the third minute, but Christian Bailey responded for W Connection in the 18th.
But midfielder Duane Muckette and Jomoul Francois each got on the scoresheet to swing the match in the town boys' favour.
Tiger Tanks Club Sando held on for a 3-2 victory over Central FC at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella.
Goals by Alvin Jones (27th), Nathaniel James (31st) and Shervohnes Hamilton (63rd) had Club Sando cruising. But Kadeem Corbin pulled one back in the 68th and an own goal from Jones two minutes later set up a nervy finish,
However, Club Sando were not to be denied as they claimed all three points. At the Arima Velodrome, Prisons and Cunupia FC played to a 1-1 draw.