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For the final 10 minutes, passionate Chaguanas North Secondary supporter Germain Raymond’s horn was silent. There is probably be no higher praise than that for any football team that travels to the New Settlement Ground in Chaguanas.
A Nicholas Dillon hattrick plus items from Jabari Mitchell, Martieon Watson, Jeremiah Kezar, Aalon Minors and Isaiah Hudson added up to an almighty caning for the host team as Naparima College romped to an emphatic 8-0 win in the mud.
The result kept “Naps” on top of the SSFL Premier Division albeit with a one point advantage over second placed St Anthony’s College and third placed San Juan North Secondary.
Mitchell was on the scoresheet today as Naparima College trounced Chaguanas North Secondary.
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/Wired868)
Elsewhere, the “Westmoorings Tigers” snapped a three-game losing streak with a 6-1 mauling of Fatima College at the St Anthony’s school ground while, at the Fatima College ground, San Juan North Secondary contained to stalk the traditional powerhouses with a 2-0 win over East Mucurapo Secondary.
Brent Sam was up to his usual tricks with a double, which extended the former national under-17 striker’s scoring streak to five successive games. He has scored nine times in that stretch including goals against St Anthony’s, Shiva Boys HC, Presentation (San Fernando) and St Mary’s College.
Naparima knows a thing or two about a purple patch too. And it meant bad news for the Chaguanas North boys in mauve shirts and pants.
The New Settlement football ground is an unfenced field squeezed between four roads. It is the very definition of a community ground, which means you could stop to watch the game while strolling to the parlour or, if you live in a two-storey house, follow the action without leaving your yard.
Naps were not in a communal mood today though. These schoolboys meant business.
Dillon, a 17-year-old man-child and Form Five student, was the chief executioner. Chaguanas could not match his pace, power and precision.
Naparima already led 2-0 at the half, following items from Mitchell, another national under-20 player, and Dillon. But, when Dillon got going in the second half, there was no stopping him.
Dillon scored a hattrick today for Naparima College against Chaguanas North.
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/Wired868)
“Come on Chaguanas North!” yelled Raymond, as she tooted her horn. “Allyuh not putting pressure on the ball!”
Bang! Dillon rifled into the corner from the edge of the opposing penalty area in the 46th minute; and the ball flew past Chaguanas custodian Aaron Best before he could twitch.
“What is that?” Chaguanas left back Carim Kellar asked his goalkeeper in an accusing tone.
“It’s not (on) me,” Best retorted. “How is that (on) me?”
Best picked the ball out from the back of his net again in the 64th minute as Dillon nodded across the line from four yards after a precise left side cross from Naparima flanker Isaiah Hudson.
“Come on allyuh!” roared Raymond. “Play like allyuh want it!”
In fact, Chaguanas did have a player capable of going toe-to-toe with anyone in a Naparima jersey, which is no faint praise considering the talent in the southern line-up. The problem was that 16-year-old Malik Campbell, a six foot-plus twinkle-toed midfielder, wanted to take them all on at once.
And, although Campbell usually beat the first man and sometimes the second, how far could he get with his solo efforts when his direct opponents in midfield were the national under-20 pair of Martieon Watson and Mitchell?
In the 75th minute, Campbell danced one player and dragged the ball past Watson before going down under a shoulder challenge from Stephon Smith in the Naparima penalty area. There was a hopeful shout from the Chaguanas bench but that was as good as it got for the host team.
A frustrated Campbell responded to the embarrassment of his impotence with a flying tackle through the mud that chopped down Dillon. Referee Jeeva Hosein flashed a yellow card. Dillon flashed a broad smile and did a dance in the mud to show his durability.
Chaguanas coach Nicholas Griffith might have started praying for the final whistle at this point.
Garcia scored a decisive penalty kick today against St Benedict’s College.
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/Wired868)
It got worse still in the 78th minute as Chaguanas flanker Mattias Williams was shown a straight red card for a studs-up challenge on Jordan Samuel.
By then, Raymond had started blowing her horn for Naparima misses.
“If I don’t blow when they make a mistake,” she explained to an observer, “I wouldn’t have anything to blow for.”
The horn finally fell silent altogether in the last ten minutes as Naparima plundered another four goals against ten players.
Dillon, it turned out, was human after all; he was substituted in the 80th minute with a minor muscle injury. Right back Nicholas Thomas hobbled off too and he and Dillon were replaced by Naparima under-16 players.
It summed up the evening for the two teams when both under-16 players promptly scored. Kezar punished a Kellar error with a drive into the far corner while the pocket-sized Minors scored with a stooping header into an empty net after Best completely missed a straightforward Mitchell cross.
No one had the heart to argue with the goalkeeper anymore.
Watson and Hudson completed the score summary with close range finishes as Naparima, led by assistant coach Travis Mulraine, gave another emphatic display of their firepower. Naps should have a sterner test of their title credentials on Tuesday when they host Trinity College East in Lewis Street, San Fernando.
And what about the shell-shocked Chaguanas North?
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/Wired868)
Campbell and company slipped into 12th place and relegation territory with today’s loss as they have a worse goal differential than 11th place Fatima. The bottom three of the Premier Division’s 14 teams will be relegated.
Chaguanas North travels to Mucurapo on Tuesday to face Fatima and coach Griffith must extract his players’ maximum concentration for that fixture if they want to stay in this division.
They might not want to look further down the road in any case. Chaguanas is due to play St Anthony’s College in Westmoorings next Saturday.
(Teams)
Naparima College (4-2-3-1): 25.Akeem Awong (GK); 2.Nicholas Thomas (29.Jeremiah Kezar 69), 19.Stephon Smith, 4.Amritt Gildharry (captain), 3.Khris Stroud; 6.Martieon Watson, 11.Shane Sandy (15.Jordan Sandy 55); 33.Isaiah Hudson, 34.Jabari Mitchell, 8.Michael Basdeo; 20.Nicholas Dillon (14.Aalon Minors 80).
Unused substitutes: 30.Enrique Changiah (GK), 12.Jarred Dass, 18.Ocean Gayah, 28.Shobal Celestine.
Coach: Travis Mulraine
Chaguanas North (4-1-4-1): 22.Aaron Best (GK); 14.Isaiah Cadogan (13.Keston Boyke 46), 5.Chad Paul, 45.Horatio Charles, 18.Carim Kellar (80.Quisnel Gittens 88); 12.Marcellus Pacific (99.Jesse Frank 13); 19.Nicholas Patrick, 11.Phillip John, 77.Malik Campbell, 9.Mattias Williams [Red card 78]; 7.Lewis Johnson.
Coach: Nicholas Griffith
Referee: Jeeva Hosein
SSFL Premier Division results
(Sat Oct 4)
Chaguanas North 0, Naparima College 8 (Nicholas Dillon 20, 46, 64, Jabari Mitchell 30, Martieon Watson 80, Jeremiah Kezar 84, Aalon Minors 86, Isaiah Hudson 89) at Chaguanas;
St Anthony’s College 6 (Kwesi Allen 32, Matthew Woo Ling 60, 71, 91, Andrew Rullow 63, Raheem Borde 75), Fatima College 1 (Marquise Hoyte 44) at St Anthony’s;
St Benedict’s College 1 (Mariba Des Cartes 74), Shiva Boys HC 2 (OG 69, Levi Garcia 90 pen) at La Romaine;
Trinity College East 1 (Sean Bonval), St Augustine 1 (Kwinci Williams) at Trincity;
Presentation (San F’do) 1, St Mary’s 0 Guaracara Park;
East Mucurapo 0, San Juan North 2 (Brent Sam [2]) Fatima;
Carapichaima East 2 (Larry Brown 5, Daryan Thomas 40), Arima North 1 (Mulick Mitchell 30) at Carapichaima;
Upcoming fixtures
(Tue Oct 7)
Shiva Boys HC v Arima North, 3 pm, Guaracara Park;
Presentation (San F’do) v St. Anthony’s, 5 pm, Guaracara Park;
Fatima College v Chaguanas North, 3.45 pm, Fatima;
St. Mary’s College v East Mucurapo, 3.45 pm, St. Mary’s;
Naparima College v Trinity College East, 3.45 pm, Lewis St, San F’do;
San Juan North v St Benedict’s College, 3.45 pm, San Juan;
St Augustine v Carapichima East, 3.45 pm, St. Augustine.
Editor’s Note: During the week, a member of the Naparima coaching staff told Wired868 that Nicholas Dillon was a Form Three student. That apparently turns out to be incorrect.
Percy Samlalsingh, the Naparima College team manager and student alumni VP of the student alumni, has informed Wired868 that Nicholas Dillon is in Form Five.
So we apologise for that misinformation, although we did try to verify the initial report. Thanks for your understanding.
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Mr Sosa, let me understand this correctly. So clubs ripping off players by allegedly paying $2,000 per month, yet clubs are idiots for paying them $3,500? So, if I understand you correctly, a young professional football, in your learned opinion, should be paid more than $2,000 but less than the country’s minimum wage? Other young men perfectly ok to earn over $3,500 per month but not footballers? And you’re supposed to be representing these players? I’ve worked with many agents and usually, they would have a financial adviser to advise their clients, but apparently, not you? Only in sweet T&T yes?
WHAT!!! all the millions that the Ceo received from the government eh, and he haven”t blessed you with a new car for all that marvelous and real professional work that you are doing for Central FC – The Sharks . This would have been the first thing I wudda do if I had collected all the millions. Brent Sancho really good yes.
Central based schools finally getting a chance at what real competition is like in ssfl/intercol. Sorry to say but d zone needs more work
Hmm, Mr Sosa, what car do you drive? I can’t afford to buy one, so have to rent 15 year old Lancers, because some players earning more than me. They working 15-20 hours per week, I put in over 80. So, go figure.
WHAT!!!!! I never knew that and this is a professional league eh, at least the Players should be getting 5000 and the corrupted governments and them should also give.the professional teams monies to help the players. Them really good yes.
Mango it have big men getting a 1000 tt a month stipend and some teams sign players 2 yrs at 2000 tt a month only in sweet tnt
Only 3500 monies my players are getting eh to play professional football in our sweet country, and the soldiers and police are making over 10; 000 eh. Them really good yes.
Mango if a idiot willing to give a 16 year old child 3500 what he think he child would do not spend it and don’t care about it
Ok so then in this case they should sue Levi brother because it was stated that he was the one that accompany him to sign the contract and the other youth I think I read it was his father that was there when he sign so sue them, smh u really good at Earl Mango Pierre… what we need to do is let the youths get the opportunity to go out and make it that would just open more doors for players that are coming up all am reading is its a business these are humans that want to make a better life for them and their families.
Calvin like yuh forget it isn’t the minor that is the one that should be held accountable or what eh . who signs the contract eh. Calvin Palos Garcia really good yes.
So Earl Mango Pierre who are u going to sue a minor?
and the million dollar question I have been always asking, so if the player signed a contract with a professional team in our sweet country eh, and then opting out of the contract just so, just so to return to play school football eh, how is that the pro teams doesn’t sue them and take them to court? it seems that some of these players doesn’t know what they really want to do with their lives ent. Them really good yes.
Yuh preaching really good meh brother exploitation to the fullest.. Them really good yes.
Lol. Savitri Maharaj is one of our community leaders eh! And a proper one; not those Manning was talking about.
LOLOLOL Lass whe yuh find this lady boi
Some people have a problem with what I am doing and my thing is if you can’t do better 4 the player shut the hell up. if sending a player 2 a top european league on a trial is wrong well I never wanna be right. these local clubs wanna pay a big man with responsibilties 2 to 3500 a month and demand perfection for 4 to 5 days of training and 1 to 2 games a week and other shit. they can’t be serious. when u are paying players a decent salary you can expect the best out of them. a pair of quality boots is 1200, rent is 2500 a month, food 1500 a month so WTF you want a player 2 do if he getting a break? stay here and suffer when these stupid ass owners living comfortable and driving nice cars?
Ok, then that’s not too bad
I believe it is under-20 Prince Borde
The Ministry allows Students up to 20 so we have to allow players 20 and under.
Can you be 20 and play school soccer?
Still man there isn’t an age limit?
Ok lasana just wanted 2 clear that up
Dion Sosa, I was told initially told that he was kept back for missing classes. But hopefully Samlalsingh has steered me correct now.
Scholarship and a pro contract are 2 different things! Why should a pro play school ball? Dutch I am a bit confused. What are you saying
Thanks Lasana, but his mentor could’ve cleared that up easy. Good job.
We can all make mistakes especially where misinformation is involved good that you are mature enough to put your hand up
Ok lasana I was wondering how 17 year old can be in form 3 I left school at 16 I thought he was real slow academically
Savitri Maharaj, I have to take ownership for the Nicholas Dillon school issue. I was told he is in Form Three by a member of staff last week. But today a school alumni member told me differently.
So it was my mistake. Like I will have to speak to school principals first now!
prince borde wat u sayin is student dat get scholarship shudnt b alllow to play for the unversity dey attend???
if he is going to school still he cud b on the national team n all
Okay. During the week, a member of the coaching staff (not Travis Mulraine) told Wired868 that Nicholas Dillon was a Form Three student. That apparently is incorrect.
I just spoke to Percy Samlalsingh who is the Naparima College team manager and the VP of the student alumni. And he said that he can say with certainty that Nicholas Dillon is in Form Five, although the boy’s attendance record was spotty last year during the time that he played for Central FC.
So I’m sorry for the misinformation.