Shiva Boys set SSFL points record; Benedict’s beat drop as QRC, P’ville and Fatima relegated

Shiva Boys Hindu College signed off on the 2016 Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) Premier Division regular season in style today, as a Junior Asson hattrick helped the newly crowned champions to a 4-2 come from behind 4-2 win over Fatima College at Mucurapo Road.

The victory meant that the Penal-based school, who lost once all season and managed 12 wins with one draw, finished with a record points total of 37, which was two better than Naparima College’s 35-point title triumph last year. Shiva’s only defeat, incidentally, came away to lowly San Juan North in their third outing.

Photo: Shiva Boys Hindu College coach Hayden Ryan (centre) poses with school supporters after their 3-0 SSFL Premier Division win over St Mary's College at Lachoo Road on 19 October 2016. (Courtesy Sean Morrison/Wired868)
Photo: Shiva Boys Hindu College coach Hayden Ryan (centre) poses with school supporters after their 3-0 SSFL Premier Division win over St Mary’s College at Lachoo Road on 19 October 2016.
(Courtesy Sean Morrison/Wired868)

Presentation College (San Fernando) finished second and snatched the final automatic qualifying place for the Big Four competition, which will also feature the two Intercol finalists.

If either Shiva Boys or Presentation College or both get to the Intercol final, then third placed Naparima or fourth placed St Anthony’s College will sneak in to the post-season tournament.

The big story today, though, came in the bottom half of the table where St Benedict’s College—after a month at the bottom of the standings—surged clear of the relegation zone in the last game of the season, as they edged Trinity College (Moka) to roar from 15th to 11th place.

Benedict’s win today was their third straight triumph and fourth unbeaten result on the trot, as coach Leonson Lewis, a former Strike Squad star, saved the blushes of the proud southern institution at the death. And, remarkably, all three wins were by a solitary goal from Dettori Boucher, who saved his school today with a 39th minute free kick.

No such luck for Queen’s Royal College, though, as the “Royalians” slipped into the relegation zone at the worst possible time and will play in the Championship Division next season.

Photo: St Benedict's College midfielder Jaycee Paras (right) tries to turn on an East Mucurapo Secondary opponent during SSFL Premier Division action at Mucurapo Road on 6 October 2016. (Courtesy Nicholas Bhajan/Wired868)
Photo: St Benedict’s College midfielder Jaycee Paras (right) tries to turn on an East Mucurapo Secondary opponent during SSFL Premier Division action at Mucurapo Road on 6 October 2016.
(Courtesy Nicholas Bhajan/Wired868)

Northern neighbours, St Anthony’s College, read QRC their last rites with a 4-0 rout in St Clair that sealed their fate. They will have Fatima and Pleasantville Secondary for company as both failed to provide a late miracle for their fans—Pleasantville were whipped 3-0 on their own school ground by Presentation today.

On Friday evening, the competition to take their places in the top flight begins in earnest with Trinity College East, Speyside High and Carapichaima East all in the hunt for for an immediate return to the Premier Division.

But they will have to fight their way past Malick Secondary and Princes Town West Secondary, who are both pushing for their first taste of the Premier action, with only three spots available.

Speyside host Princes Town West from 3.30pm on Friday while Trinity East tackle Carapichaima East in Trincity. Malick Secondary are on a bye for the first round of matches.

Photo: A Pleasantville Secondary player (foreground) laments the final result after a 3-1 defeat to Shiva Boys Hindu College in SSFL Premier Division action in Pleasantville on 22 October 2016. (Courtesy Chevaughn Christopher/Wired868)
Photo: A Pleasantville Secondary player (foreground) laments the final result after a 3-1 defeat to Shiva Boys Hindu College in SSFL Premier Division action in Pleasantville on 22 October 2016.
(Courtesy Chevaughn Christopher/Wired868)

SSFL Premier Division results


(Wednesday 26 October)

Signal Hill 1 (Akil Frank 87 pen), San Juan North 0 at Signal Hill;

QRC 0, St Anthony’s College 4 (Che Benny 41, Derron John 51 pen, Yevan Rajpaul 71, Tyrese Bailey 90+3) at QRC;

East Mucurapo 2 (Jesse Williams 39, 67), Fyzabad Secondary 1 (Alleric Williams 56) at Moka;

St Augustine 0, Naparima College 1 (Renaldo McIntosh 4) at St Augustine;

Pleasantville 0, Presentation San F’do 3 (James Alex Lee Yaw 50, Jared Gordon 54, 81) at Pleasantville;

St Benedict’s College 1 (Dettori Boucher 28), Trinity College Moka 0 at Mahaica, P/Fortin;

Fatima College 2 (Justin Araujo-Wilson 64, 67), Shiva Boys HC 4 (Yohannes Richardson 45 pen, Junior Asson 70, 90+1, 90+3) at Fatima;

St Mary’s College are on a Bye.

 

Photo: QRC midfielder Kalev Keil (right) is tackled by a St Augustine player during SSFL Premier Division action at the QRC grounds on 8 September 2016. (Courtesy Chevaughn Christopher/Wired868)
Photo: QRC midfielder Kalev Keil (right) is tackled by a St Augustine player during SSFL Premier Division action at the QRC grounds on 8 September 2016.
(Courtesy Chevaughn Christopher/Wired868)

SSFL Premier Division standings

(Tabulated as Played-Won-Drew-Lost-Goals For-Goals Against-Points)

Shiva Boys HC    14-12-1-1-35-12-37

Presentation SF 14-10-2-2-32-11-32

Naparima             14-10-2-2-27-12-32

St Anthony’s       14-9-1-4-38-21-28

Signal Hill            14-6-2-6-16-13-20

St Augustine       14-5-5-4-15-12-20

Fyzabad Sec        14-6-2-6-26-25-20

St Mary’s              14-5-5-4-15-25-20

Trinity Moka      14-5-3-6-7-17-18

East Mucurapo  14-4-3-7-13-19-15

St Benedict’s       14-3-3-8-7-21-12

San Juan North 14-3-2-9-21-24-11

QRC                        14-2-4-8-8-20-10

Pleasantville      14-2-4-8-12-27-10

Fatima College  14-2-3-9-15-27-9

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88 comments

  1. Caps east won 1-0 against trinity east today.

  2. QRC relegated….lol….some big mouth past pupils will be eating grass until next year lolol

  3. I couldn’t see link you shared Rose. Is the coach still Hayden Martin?

  4. Geeze. I didn’t realize Fatima ended up at the bottom of the table :'(

  5. This is my feelings , Dettori and St Benedict’s were the winner of the SSFL .

  6. This is my feelings , Dettori and St Benedict’s won the SSFL .

  7. Especially when those other teams get their national under-20 players back. That’s when I’d expect Naparima and St Anthony’s to go up a notch.

  8. Shiva for the double or even triple…will be a challenge

  9. thats wot south people do………..congrats to you guys

  10. How benedicts stay up I’ll never know …

    • Two words: Dettori. Boucher.
      Benedict’s won three games all season. All came at the end of the season. Boucher scored their only goal in each game!

    • That’s a bit unfair.. are you implying he played alone Lasana? .. St Anthony’s, Signal Hill and Trinity are good teams.. so the boys must have at least played well to also not be scored on.. could it simply be that as a new team playing for the first time they are finally coming together.. I think people are taking away from these boys’ hard work because they feel someway about the coach.. but I agree I suppose .. hopefully Boucher is not now bought by NAPS or PRES like the Benedict’s players of last season ..

    • Detori clearly had a big impact but let’s face it …if the team defence didn’t hold out on conceding goals we wouldn’t be having this discussion. …..bottom line f*** leonson lewis aka “coachman”!!!

    • Of course. Those clean sheets were absolutely crucial. But those three clean sheets would have been three points and Benedict’s would have finished bottom of the table.
      Dettori’s three free kicks gave them an additional six points. So he was decisive in my books.

    • What does crediting Boucher have to do with feeling anyway about the coach Tisha-Marie? And why would Wired868 feel anyway about the St Benedict’s coach?
      It is a fact that 11 players are on the football field and all help. People commenting on football assume that everyone understands that.
      But Boucher was decisive in all three games. And on top of that, his three goals came from set pieces apparently. That’s a piece of skill where you stand alone and take on the other team’s defensive wall and goalkeeper.
      His ability to do that got his team three wins. If you don’t think that was crucial in St Benedict’s staying up and they probably would have survived otherwise, then I simply disagree with you.

    • Maybe I worded my comment badly but I did agree with you re his contribution but it wasn’t a comment addressing you only.. but I do think the team is now playing cohesively and the talent of all the boys will show as time goes on.. but you must admit a lot of blame was put on the coach in comments without realistically looking at the entire situation of most players for last season moving to the other schools.. some of the comparisons made were a bit unfair..as a parent and supporter I am glad they are coming into their own as a team..

    • Coaches have the ultimate responsibility for their teams’ performances though. Even if your star player is injured or transferred.
      I don’t know how many players left or why. And I’m sure there are several reasons for their problems. But I think a mature coach would hold his hand up and take responsibility too.
      In the same way as he would get some credit for salvaging their season in the end. It works both ways. You would never hear Stephen Hart say that loss had nothing to do with him.
      That was a tremendous run by Benedict’s to survive and the entire team plus coaches and supporters deserve credit for that.
      Even though Dettori’s free kicks would probably be remembered fondly for a long time. ☺️

    • ?.. so credit the coach with the losses but not the wins.. but I don’t admit to knowing a lot about football just a layperson’s observation.. end all I’m glad we didn’t get relegated ?

    • You’re reading my comments in a very curious way Tisha. Read over my comment and you’d see it isn’t what you said at all. But I guess I should leave you to debate with the people you are responding to.
      Benedict’s went from second in the league to escaping relegation on the final day. We said nice things about that. Allyuh still vexed. Phew. You don’t get a trophy for escaping relegation. But we said congrats.

  11. Yes yes I believe this is the second time that QRC has been relegated!!!

  12. Is it just me or is the SSFL becoming more popular than the TT Pro Leauge

  13. Tell uh we gt lol Akiel Bridgeman

  14. Lol. Allyuh coach finally crack it and allyuh want to sack him? ???
    The man on a three game win streak now.

  15. 123SBC!!!!! The tide has calmed …but with a change of coach, earlier start to training and better management on ah whole we will see great things !!

  16. And the Saints go marching on eh Ian R Briggs? Lol

  17. Fatima and QRC, the tide has turned. New kids are on the block.

  18. Lasana Liburd you know who is Detori’s father? Hisfather is Dale Boucher from Signal Hill fame. Double champion when Signal Hill dominated. The kid has tremendous potential

  19. Just realised that Dettori Boucher scored the game winner for St Benedict’s for the third straight game! That boy shouldn’t have to pay for his own lunch at the school for the rest of the year! Lol

  20. Brent, Grayson is in the hunt for immediate promotion with Trinity East. 🙂

  21. Fatima and QRC went down ? Couldn’t happen to a better bunch ?? byeeee

  22. Time for Fatima and QRC to stop playing football…

  23. The Greatest Of Escapes!!!! 123SBC!!!!

  24. Well done STBC. Boucher the saviour.

    Sad that P. Ville got demoted. Hopefully P. Town takes their place. Unbelievable one of the former giants of the South Zone isn’t in the Prem.

    On a related note. I’m glad there’s this competition now. North schools always dominated whatever press there was surrounding SSFL. They’re being exposed now. Lmao.

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