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Twenty-four times a charm. Pro League table proppers St Ann’s Rangers got their first win yesterday, in their final league fixture of the season, as the stragglers edged third place Defence Force 2-1 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain.
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/Wired868)
Attacker Sayid Freitas, a mid-season acquisition, got the winner for Rangers in the 86th minute as new coach Ron La Forest ended the league season on a high for the St Ann’s-based outfit.
There was another upset in the second fixture of yesterday’s Port of Spain double header as “giant-killers” Play Whe San Juan Jabloteh overturned a 2-0 deficit to pip second placed DIRECTV W Connection 3-2.
Connection striker Jerrel Britto scored a quickfire double in the 11th and 25th minutes to take his season tally to a club high 14 league goals. However, Jabloteh clawed themselves back level by the interval thanks to strikes from Johan Peltier and Jamaican defender Adrian Reid.
And, in the 76th minute, new “Soca Warrior” Tyrone Charles grabbed the winner for the sixth placed “San Juan Kings”, who will now take some momentum into the upcoming Digicel Pro Bowl competition.
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/Wired868)
Rangers were the talk of the round though. After 22 league matches under previous coach Jason Spence, the Pro League also-rans had just one point to show for their efforts.
On Friday April 24, another Freitas goal saw Rangers snatch a 1-1 tie against North East Stars and La Forest’s men celebrated the final whistle as though they had won a trophy.
Last night, they proved to the Army/Coast Guard combination that their revival had not been overstated.
Rangers went ahead in the 42nd minute after David Williams flicked the ball around opposing goalkeeper Andre Marchan to hit home. Devorn Jorsling, who is league’s leading scorer this season as well as the Pro League’s all-time top marksman, equalised on the stroke of halftime with his 21st league goal this season and the 136th item of his career.
But Freitas had the last word as Rangers managed an unlikely milestone in their final league outing of the 2014/15 season.
(Courtesy Allan V Crane/Wired868)
Pro League results
(May 1)
St Ann’s Rangers 2 (David Williams 42, Sayid Freitas 83), Defence Force 1 (Devorn Jorsling 45) at Hasely Crawford Stadium;
San Juan Jabloteh 3 (Johan Peltier 35, Adrian Reid 40, Tyrone Charles 76), W Connection 2 (Jerrel Britto 11, 25) at Hasely Crawford Stadium;
(May 2)
Caledonia AIA 1 (Pernell Schultz 15), North East Stars 1 (Keron Cummings 88) at Larry Gomes.
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