T&TEC FC finished on the wrong side of a 2-1 score in the Final of the 2011 First Citizens Cup last Friday at the Hasely Crawford Stadium against Caledonia AIA of Morvant/Laventille, but won by a landside in terms of supporters which painted the covered stands yellow.
Coach Dexter Cyrus explained, “We have compiled a really well known football team and staff, and I think the T&TEC family needed something like this. They needed a top football team to come out and support in the TT Pro League and we have given them just that.”
Cyrus’ starting line-up on Friday included nine players (Anthony Noriega, Corneal Thomas, Romauld Aguillera, Sylvester Teesdale, Vurlon Mills, Andrei Pacheco, Kerlon Ferguson, Kelvin Modeste and Akeem Adams) with Pro League experience while captain Kern Peters and goalkeeper Akini Adams are the only players having their first taste of top flight football this season.
Akeem a former W Connection youth player and T&T youth player is a current National Senior Team member along with Andrei Pacheco while Akini has been called up in recent times.
Cyrus continued, “I want to say thank you very much (to our fans) for showing that love, for being there and urging us on and I know that you will continue supporting us and we will continue being pleased with that.”
T&TEC unbeaten before Friday’s Final went ahead in the 15th minute with a strike from Teesdale, but the scores were leveled before the break by a superb Kareem Joseph strike in the 26th minute. Joseph later handed Caledonia the winner in the 65th minute from the penalty spot after Micah Lewis was fouled well inside the area by Pacheco.
Following the match Cyrus remained disgruntled that the deciding item came from a penalty shout which he criticized.
“We went ahead with the early goal, but we could have been four goals up because we actually carved them open four times but weren’t able to capitalize on them and going in 1-1 at the half was a difficult task,” he said.
“Both teams played more or less at the same level. So I was a bit disappointed that the linesman immediately signaled a penalty and the replay shows clearly it wasn’t.
It’s a bit disappointing that an assistant referee could make a decision like that and determine an outcome of a Final. Our guys did quite a lot on the training pitch and both teams were going neck and neck and the game shouldn’t have been decided on a decision like that. But nevertheless the ball went into the back of the net via a penalty and that’s how we lost the game.”
T&TEC opened the season with a 2-1 comeback victory over DIRECTV North East Stars in the Digicel Pro League followed by a goalless draw against St. Ann’s Rangers and a 4-4 draw against Adam’s Construction San Juan Jabloteh in their Group A matches of the First Citizens Cup round robin quarterfinal round before ousting six-time winners W Connection 4-3 on penalties in the semi-final round after a 1-1 draw.
“I’m doing a lot of hard work with the guys and I’m totally confident that once I can measure a team on all areas of the pitch, I can beat them,” divulged the T&TEC coach.
“And I’ve instilled that in the guys. So we have built a really formidable team and we showed that in the Final. We dug deep against Caledonia with all their experience and although we didn’t get the victory we are going to continue plugging away.
Cyrus promised that he won’t let the anguish of defeat get in his team’s way of hunting more Finals and the League Championship.
“I’m going to try my best,” said the former T&T international. “I’m always going to push the guys to do more. The game has win, it has defeat and it has draw, and today we experience the agony of defeat. That’s just part of the experience in football and we now have to dig deep and come again.”
T&TEC returns to action on Friday 21 October from 5pm at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium, with home support, as host to St. Ann’s Rangers in Round One Match Day Three of the Digicel Pro League Championship in the first clash of a double header. W Connection will host Jabloteh in the second clash from 7pm.