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There were two Pro League football fixtures today but three contests.
Defence Force, Point Fortin Civic, Caledonia AIA and San Juan Jabloteh were battling for places within the middle to lower order of Trinidad and Tobago’s domestic top flight competition. The Army/Coast Guard combination cemented their third place with a 4-2 win over Civic while neither Jabloteh nor Caledonia did themselves much favours with a 2-2 draw.
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/Wired868)
However, Defence Force striker Devorn Jorsling and Jabloteh attacker Kerry Baptiste were fighting for something far more precious than a forgettable league placing. They are wrestling for immortality.
On a dull Sunday afternoon when most football fans chose to stay at home and nurse heavy lunches, the Pro League’s top two scorers were hard at work.
At the start of the 2014/15 season, the 33-year-old Baptiste was the Pro League’s undisputed scoring champ with 122 goals plundered during a 12-year spell that started with Jabloteh, ignited at Joe Public and also included T&TEC FC and North East Stars before the versatile poacher returned to the “San Juan Kings” last year.
The 31-year-old Jorsling was seven goals behind with 115 items—the bulk scored with Defence Force although he did have one free-scoring season with Caledonia AIA.
Former Trinidad and Tobago international enigma Arnold Dwarika is the only other player to cross the Pro League’s 100-goal mark with 103 items shared between Joe Public, North East Stars, W Connection and United Petrotrin.
(Courtesy Wired868)
But, at the moment, it is Jorsling who holds the distinction as the Pro League’s all-time most prolific marksman and he gave another example of his prowess today with a treble against Civic, which brought his overall tally to 134 league goals. It was his fourth league hattrick of the season and third of this calendar year.
Only Baptiste, Caledonia’s Pernell Schultz and Point Fortin’s Marcus Joseph have managed a league hattrick this season and all three just have one each.
This afternoon was one of mixed successes for Baptiste and Jabloteh. Already missing three players through suspension, Fabian Reid, Jevon Morris and Caleb Sturge, the boys from Bourg Mulatrasse dominated possession for the opening 20 minutes yet trailed from Caledonia’s first real attack.
Caledonia holding midfielder Cristoper Mejia released Nathan Lewis down the right flank and Lewis glided past retreating Jabloteh midfielder Damian Williams to squeeze past goalkeeper Shane Mattis at his near post. Mejia is a Honduran import while Williams and Mattis are both Jamaicans.
The “Eastern Stallions” might have doubled their lead within minutes as Guyana international midfielder Trayon Bobb beat Mattis with a firm downward header only for Jabloteh defender Dillon Kirton to hook an improvised clearance over his own bar from inside the goalmouth.
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/Wired868)
Jabloteh made the most of their escape in first half stoppage time when 19-year-old left back Nkosi David, who was drafted into the first team to cover their suspensions, equalised with an unstoppable left footed rocket from the edge of the area.
The identity of Jabloteh’s second scorer was less of a surprise. Tyrone Charles found Baptiste, who now operates as an attacking midfielder, with space inside the opposing area and his finish, as always, was clinical. It was his 131st career Pro League goal.
Jabloteh’s lead lasted just four minutes, though, as Schultz, another Guyana international, buried an equaliser past Mattis from inside the 18-yard box for his 13th league goal this season, which is the joint third highest Pro League tally alongside Central FC’s Ataulla Guerra.
Jabloteh coach Keith Jeffrey decided to trust in his younger talent for a decisive goal and off came Baptiste and Jamaican striker Newton Sterling while midfielder Neil Mitchell and Trinity College East schoolboy Sean Bonval were introduced.
Williams, like Johan Peltier before him, struck the frame of the goal in the 88th minute while lightening almost struck twice for David, who was a foot wide with a 22-yard effort in the closing seconds. But Jabloteh had to settle for a point.
Looking on is Pro League CEO Dexter Skeene.
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/Wired868)
On the bench, Baptiste pouted at his demotion and flung his training jersey on the ground as he watched the final 20 minutes with a scowl.
Jorsling is the man right now.
(Teams)
San Juan Jabloteh (4-2-3-1): 30.Shane Mattis (GK); 4.Garth Thomas, 19.Dillon Kirton, 24.Adrian Reid, 20.Nkosi David; 11.Damian Williams, 12.Brendon Boucaud (28.Kendes Garcia 73); 29.Tyrone Charles, 10.Kerry Baptiste (captain) (21.Neil Mitchell 72), 9.Johan Peltier, 8.Newton Sterling (27.Sean Bonval 77).
Unused substitutes: 36.Raheem Belgrave (GK), 3.Brent Sam, 23.Brendon Figuera.
Coach: Keith Jeffrey.
Caledonia AIA (4-2-2-2): Shemel Louison (GK); 12.Kareem Joseph (captain), 23.Jamil Joseph, 16.Pierre Hitner, 22.Jameel Neptune; 5.Cristoper Mejia, 26.Nicholas Mercano; 27.Nathan Lewis (30.Domini Garnett 67), Trayon Bobb; 29.Mickaeel Gordon (15.Franz Husbands 67), 28.Pernell Schultz.
Unused substitutes: 34.D’Eandre Villaroel (GK), 25.Anthony Charles, 35.Israel Honore.
Coach: Jerry Moe.
Referee: Keilon Bacchus
Pro League results
(Sun Apr 12)
Caledonia AIA 2 (Nathan Lewis 18, Pernell Schultz 65), San Juan Jabloteh 2 (Nkosi David 45, Kerry Baptiste 61) at Larry Gomes Stadium;
Defence Force 4 (Devorn Jorsling 37, 66, 73, Kerry Joseph 60), Point Fortin Civic 2 (Andre Toussaint 38, Glen Sutton 52) at Mannie Ramjohn Stadium.
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But lewwe doh digress age or nah… I would say any sane coach who looks at the stats for a professional league and sees a guy scoring four hat-tricks in a season must think of has selecting him for any national Jorsling would make my team anyday. What use is the pro league if we aint using it as the main basis of selection?… Not comparing apples to grapes eh… but u see the Italians budging with Pirlo?… when a man in his prime you must capitalize!
Jorsling played 36 minutes away to Mexico, 13 minutes away to Costa Rica and 77 minute at home to Mexico, 90 minutes against Chile with an experimental team full of rookies, 90 minutes away to Panama in 3-0 friendly defeat, 46 minutes away to Belize.
So his games against non-Caribbean teams are two starts away to Panama and Chile, one at home to Mexico and three substitute appearances away to Panama, Belize, Mexico and Costa Rica. Three starts and three off the bench.
I remember that he played quite well against a full strength Mexico team at the Stadium. He hasn’t scored against non-Caribbean opposition but he hasn’t had much of a chance and featured in a few very poor Latapy teams.
Overall, he has 17 goals from 24 starts and seven of those goals were in competitive matches.
After a while d man start tuh friggin walk d pitch yes! home boy get so lazy he started to look the part!!
Mark Anthony Scott and who is to really blame for that eh do you know how long now that I am saying that we have to also concentrate on our local players eh, give them a real professional atmosphere in our sweet country eh, and not only depend on the so called foreign base professionals because whenever they returns to represent our sweet country they never give us 100% because they are afraid to get injuries and then loose their professional contracts eh, plus some of them are not really playing much or playing in lower teams in the leagues that they are playing for eh because when we look at some of them eh there is nothing different to the way they play eh, but the local players will be putting out 100% because they are trying to get a real professional contract abroad well at least now I see that Coach Hart is giving more of them their chances to do so and I am really liking what he is doing.
Like dey rub down Kenwyne with chive in Sunderland!! I never see a striker spoil so fass!! I rated him in his 1st season… but then his attitude changed… and it was mainly down to Sunderland’s style of play… he was the knock down man -> get it up there and Kenwyne will knock it down for Cisse/Brent… he was never coached to work for the ball.. and he come back trini with that mentality
…Jones scored in the OSN Cup against Saudi Arabia and UAE and against Jamaica in 2013 among his most high-profile goals in recent time
…But to be fair Uncle Earl Mango Pierre…we just don’t have a huge list of prolific strikers in the TT Pro League to choose from…and that is a fact….coach Hart tried to use the game against Panama to see who fits the bill…to me Rundell Winchester comes the closest
Nigel Myers well since yuh is a real walking football encyclopedia lets see his stats and who he scored those goals against nah.?
Earl Mango Pierre, you say KJ is de worst striker, but tell me who has scored the most goals for the national team over the last two years.
Mark Anthony Scott well Coach Hart needs to really change our style of play and use two real prolific goal scorers eh,and don’t even send for KJ and I dun talk.
….Hmmmm a Caribbean Specialist at best
Lasana Liburd, my records show that Jorsling has earned 40 caps (38 if you exclude Martinique) and he’s scored 17 goals:
Antigua & Barbuda (5)
St. Vincent & Grenadines (4)
Guyana (3)
Jamaica (1)
Haiti (1)
Barbados (1)
St. Lucia (1)
St. Kitts & Nevis (1)
….Earl Mango Pierre because of our style of play…we need a target man like KJ…over the last few years we have not been producing the type of striker that will take the ball and run at opposing defenders so it is important for him to hold up the ball and integrate the likes of Molino and Guerra
Brian Springer are you really for real eh, KJ would be coming of the bench if I was the coach of the national team, I really don’t know what some of you looking at when he represents our sweet country eh, but he is the worst striker that ever represented our sweet country or then again I cannot blame him eh because he was really a defender before he was recruited to play striker in the EPL I wonder why he was relegated to the second division and another team in the EPL didn’t give him a contract instead. Them really good yes.
Sometimes that might be down to where his opportunity came too. Will have to check his playing record. I thought he scored against Mexico.
I wouldn’t say he is a great all round striker like Cornell. But he is a specialist that is useful to me.
The funny thing about Jorsling, is that as good a striker as he is, all of his international goals have come against Caribbean opposition. Not sure if there is anything to read into that.
For me, tournaments are not to groom players but to do as well as you can. I don’t think Kenwyne has the same predatory qualities so I would take Jorsling and another more all-action versatile striker like Willis Plaza, Marcus Joseph or an on-song Shahdon Winchester.
I know you have to find room for youth when you can. If there is a young player close to Jorsling’s level, I would pick the youth.
If not… Tough. Let the youths work for it. If the old timer is doing the business and gives me a better chance of progress then that is where we are going.
But I know this is a contentious topic.
…..Agreed Brian Springer…it’s time to look to the future
I disagree with including Jorsling, I’d prefer we use the Gold Cup to give the younger players much needed match practice against the teams we likely to be facing in the WCQ later in the year…and by “younger” I mean 18-25 we already have a VERY experienced striker in KJ. and Coach Hart usually plays with ONE up top…As good an asset as Jorsling could be, I’d rather we groom the next generation now as we look towards 2018.
Earl Mango Pierre, I does be around man. Anyway, concerning Irasto Knights, yuh remember at one time he had a trial lined up with Lecce in de Italian Serie A? But he did not get his visa in time, and missed his flight to Italy, and that was that.
Agree 100 percent Mango.
The other problem with most of our players is that they really start performing in their mid 20’s and that is because of our developmental programs in the past hopefully now all that will change now that we have a 16 yr old Garcia who was contracted to play over seas and who will be developed into a real professional hopefully soon and I am really hoping that more will follow in the near future, the training in our sweet country needs to be more intense the same way it is done in the America , South/ Central America, and European professional academies and leagues.
Yes
All time as in all the years of pro league??
Yes. Hopefully with Molino and Joevin doing well, some more MLS scouts will look at our players and offer them proper salaries.
There are Pro League players who turned down offers in the States because they were too derisory.
The Gold Cup will be a good place for him and many others to catch the eye, again.
Once you hit 25, the clock starts running. Cyrus has to move fast.
Cyrus still has the time to make a name for himself
thats a fair comment so true
People would be stunned at the talent we have if they were all properly groomed and polished like Yorke. From the late Mickey Trotman to Marvin Oliver, Cornell Glen, Daneil Cyrus and Aurtis Whitley might have been millionaires if born in proper football countries.
If our sweet country was a real football country eh, many of our footballers would have made it professionally in many real professional leagues abroad a very long time ago just the same as Brazil and Argentina but that corrupted Jack Warner and his corrupted cronies attached to the TTFA had other agendas. Them really good yes.
Irasto was more raw than the others. But he had real potential too.
Irasto Knights should also be included in being also one of our top strikers that really never got the chance to prove himself in a real professional league abroad.
People don’t appreciate how good Jason Scotland is either. A lot of top strikers suffered because they were in the shadow of Stern John. Nigel Pierre is another.
With Cornell, it is only ever a question of what his body will allow him to do. No doubting the ability.
Oh really my other prolific goalscorer Cornell Glen should also be on that team because of his experience and I am positively certain that he will be ready to go and then after that he can receive a blessed farewell for representing our sweet country over the years
Nigel Myers, I always believe in having a poacher in your 23 man squad. I’d carry Devorn once fit. And I understand he is working on his fitness.
I don’t think there is another striker that can do what he does.
He nearly gave it away again in the same position, but got away. He romped forward a few more times throughout the game as well…reminded me of David Luiz.
Idk what he trying, but that’s what he did. Lol.
It was Ettienne trying to dribble out of the back that cost Civic the Toyota Classic final against Jabloteh. Is he still trying to overplay?
He has the potential to be a solid defender but he seems to get carried away sometimes.
Hence the reason why we call players like him prolific goalscorers eh.
Jorsling didn’t have many opportunities to score and still got a hattrick
Yes Lasana. The game was evenly poised until A. Etienne tried to dribble out the back and lost it, allowing Army to tie it up @ 2-2. Then it was all Army. I think they lost a little confidence and impetus after that, resulting in Army scoring again. I’d like to hear others who were at the game views though.
Lasana, a “bank robbery goal…… nobody moved”.
Buh A A Nigel Myers long time man where have you been hiding eh. Blessings man.
In the past, issues were raised concerning his fitness and training habits. Not sure if it is still a concern.
And he told me that he was going and win the most goals incentives and regain his crown this season and that is the confidence of a real prolific goalscorer 🙂
Once he is in shape, I think he is the country’s best finisher.
Yeah and he is not even on the National team for the up coming Gold cup. Them really good yes.
Stellar free-kick by Jorsling…real class.