Big Five: Youthful Signal Hill sting Moruga; “Scorpions”, Blanchisseuse in trouble

“We will take it one game at a time,” Signal Hill Secondary head coach Downie Marcelle told Wired868. “We want to go Prem—that is our goal and aim for this year.”

Six years have passed since Signal Hill, the school of Trinidad and Tobago legends Dwight Yorke and Bertille St Clair, played in the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) Premier Division competition.

It is still early days, but Signal Hill supporters could take heart from an encouraging 3-2 win away to Moruga Secondary in SSFL Big Five action yesterday afternoon.

The result saw the Tobago team—in the first outing of the competition that serves as a promotion platform for the top flight Premier Division—move to second in the standings, behind St Augustine Secondary who won 1-0 away to Blanchisseuse Secondary yesterday.

With seven points being enough to guarantee promotion, St Augustine have four (from two games), Signal Hall have three (from one game) and Miracle Ministries Pentecostal High School (one game), Blanchisseuse (two games), and Moruga (two games) each have one point.

Next Tuesday, Moruga travel to Blanchisseuse to play the North Zone champs in the first do-or-die match of the 2024 competition. The loser would almost certainly be eliminated from contention for a Premier Division spot, while even a draw or win would still leave promotion hanging on a final day result.

Moruga head coach Kempton Duval looked downbeat at the final whistle.

The 2023 South Zone champions were set for relegation to the Senior Division two months ago, due to an administrative error by team manager Andy Joseph and shoddy oversight by the SSFL Credentials Committee.

However, success before the SSFL Arbitration Panel revived Moruga’s campaign and a draw away to pre-tournament favourites, St Augustine, on match day one sparked renewed hope.

Yesterday, the “Moruga Scorpions” got a reality check on their home turf as the Tobago outfit generally dominated proceedings at Tompierre Trace.

“Today was one of our poorer performances,” said Duval. “Certain things didn’t click—it was an unfortunate result.

“[…] We had chances but to me I think Signal Hill were the better team. They created more chances.”

Good or bad results on match day are often months or even years in the making. Although both teams might point to how they spent their Carnival.

Signal Hill, supported by principal Arianne Garcia-D’Abreau, enjoyed a five-day camp from Carnival Friday to Ash Wednesday and then travelled to Trinidad a day early to avoid excessive travelling on match day.

In contrast, Duval complained that carnival was too embedded in his players’ DNA.

“Apparently, Carnival was more important to them than the team,” said the Moruga coach. “We trained on Carnival Sunday and we were supposed to be resting over the two (Carnival) days. Apparently, we didn’t rest.”

For the first 10 minutes of yesterday’s affair, Signal Hill looked to be making mas with Moruga and it took some last ditch defending by the hosts to deny early chances at goal to visiting attackers J’meke Watkins and Jermaine Morgan.

However, paradoxically, Moruga fashioned the first scoring opportunity in the 12th minute as a smashing volley from flanker Keieal Morales produced a flying a save to match from Signal Hill goalkeeper Rondell Marcelle.

It was a warning that possession alone does not decide matches. The visitors did not pay sufficient heed though. And, after some showboating near centre field was followed by a loose pass from defender Imanhi Forbes, Moruga got the opening item via an opportunistic finish from striker Andelle Maurice in the 18th minute.

Coach Marcelle used a water break to berate his players for their lack of focus and, in only the 32nd minute, he rejigged his starting team—as he withdrew 14-year-old forward Sel Mills and shuffled around players within their 4-2-3-1 system.

“You have to be proactive sometimes in some of your decisions,” said Marcelle. “Because we know the importance of our first game, that was a tactical change. The attacker wasn’t giving me what I wanted.”

It was anything but a lack of faith in youth. In fact, the replacement, right back Kyen Anderson, is 13-years-old—as was midfielder Ackim Duncan. Watkins, an inverted left winger, is 14.

Remarkably, only one Signal Hill player used yesterday, 19-year-old central defender, Forbes, was older than 16.

“I am one of those coaches who believe in ability,” said Marcelle. “You could be 12—if you have the ability to pass, take, move and carry out the instructions, you would play for me.

“It is not about age per se, it is about how you could play.”

Four minutes from the interval, Watkins justified his coach’s ideology with a composed close-ranged finish after giant 17-year-old Moruga defender Veron Gomez failed to cut out a diagonal pass behind the home defence.

Six minutes after the resumption, Duval withdrew Maurice, whose willingness to run behind the Signal Hill defence was Moruga’s best weapon on the day.

“He was a bit fatigued,” Duval explained.

And there was no doubt that the hosts were in trouble when Morgan again punished dozy Moruga defender, as he sneaked on to a lofted, diagonal ball over the top before surprising opposing goalkeeper Adriano Baptiste at his near post in the 61st minute.

The 15-year-old Morgan started the game with a black glove on his left hand, in 31 degrees Celsius heat—but there was no questioning his decision-making with that sharp finish.

Watkins, who clearly took a liking to Moruga right back Angelo Molino, nearly doubled Signal Hill’s lead with a cracking drive that ricocheted off the underside of the bar in the 70th minute.

He did not have to wait long for another chance though. In the 72nd minute, Watkins got his double with a low drive into the far corner after a sweet passing move that involved Duncan and Morgan.

By now, even the murmurs of the 100-plus Moruga supporters at Tompierre Trace betrayed their admiration for some of the football on show by Signal Hill, who committed as many as seven players to attack throughout—while 16-year-old deep-lying midfielder Jaden Richardson operated as the music conductor.

“I believe in attacking football,” said Marcelle. “I like Pep Guardiola’s style of football; I also like [Jurgen] Klopp’s style of football. So, it is high press and your transition from defence to offence must be fast.

“[…] We play total football.”

A spate of injuries meant that Signal Hill travelled with just four substitutes—only two of whom were used, while regular team captain Jediah Phillips is still recovering from a knock although he sat on the bench.

Referee David Scarlett played a whopping seven minutes of stoppage time and, in virtually the final move of the game, Moruga defender Diego Philip lashed home a low free kick from the edge of the box to cut the deficit to a single goal.

There was no time to try for an unlikely equaliser though.

“A little extra five minutes you couldn’t give we?!” A female student berated the referee. “Allyuh too biased!”

Moruga must make their own luck from here though. There will be no more blighs.

“One of our senior players, Malique Friday, had an off-day and we didn’t get any crosses from him, plus our midfield wasn’t clicking,” said Duval. “Something was just off today. Probably the Carnival season got the better of us.

“But life goes on and we have a big game coming up against Blanchisseuse that could define our participation in the Big Five—instead of leaving it up to our last game in the competition against Miracle Ministries.

“So, we just live to fight another day.”

Signal Hill hired Marcelle in 2019 and the now 40-year-old coach took the school to the Tobago Championship title before finishing bottom of the Big Five standings that season, behind eventual qualifiers Moruga, Fatima College and Chaguanas North Secondary.

Moruga, also coached by Duval, whipped Signal Hill 3-0 en route to the 2019 Big Five title.

Four years later, Marcelle, who also coaches the Ball Blasters Youth Academy, has another shot at restoring the former Tobago giants and testing his own acumen in the SSFL’s top flight.

“I knew it would be a difficult game and the scoreline would tell you that: 3-2,” said Marcelle. “We had to fight from the first whistle to the last whistle, but to come quite here in Moruga and win 3-2 in our first Big 5 game—I am really grateful for that.

“Hats off to the players [who] went out there and really put their hearts into it. And thanks to the principal of the school, our head teacher Ms Syandene Blackman-Walsh, and of course the parents.

“With some of our boys preparing for their CSEC exams, the support of parents is important.”

Signal Hill would hope to pass their Big Five test too. St Augustine, Blanchisseuse, Miracle Ministries will not make it easy for them.

Meanwhile, Duval desperately needs his Moruga players to recover their form in time for their trip to Blanchisseuse on Tuesday

“We have to work harder here and we have to get it together very quickly,” said Duval.

(Teams)

Moruga Secondary (4-4-1-1): 1.Adriano Baptiste (GK); 3.Angelo Molino, 6.Veron Gomez, 5.Diego Philip (captain), 14.Jaden Lopez (2.Deron Mollineau 75); 20.Keieal Morales (13.Shaquane Joseph 75), 7.Quacie Moore, 10.Russell Lynch, 21.Malique Friday; 8.Terell Thompson (12.Tariq Henry 79); 9.Andelle Maurice (4.Jose Steeling 51).

Unused substitutes: 15.Trevis Mollineau, 17.Garvey Rostant, 18.Javon Thompson.

Coach: Kempton Duval

Signal Hill Secondary (4-2-3-1): 1.Rondell Marcelle (GK); 18.Jaquon De Four, 12.Imanhi Forbes (captain), 8.Raevion Marshall, 6.Mario Pereira (11.Jediael Marcelle 89); 5.Jaden Richardson, 22.Ackim Duncan; 21.Immanuel Wright, 10.Jermaine Morgan, 7.J’meke Watkins; 17.Siel Mills (14.Kyen Anderson 18).

Unused substitutes: 2.Jediah Phillips, 19.Lyshawn Scotland.

Coach: Downie Marcelle

Referee: David Scarlett

SSFL Big Five results

(Friday 16 February)

Moruga Secondary 2 (Andelle Maurice 19, Diego Philip 90+7), Signal Hill Secondary 3 (J’meke Watson 42, 72, Jermaine Morgan 61) at Moruga;

Blanchisseuse Secondary 0, St Augustine Secondary 1 (Nkosi Fuentes 65) at Blanchisseuse;

Miracle Ministries PHS are on a bye

Upcoming fixture

(Tuesday 20 March)

Signal Hill Secondary vs Miracle Ministries PHS, 3pm, Signal Hill;

Blanchisseuse Secondary vs Moruga Secondary, 3pm, Blanchisseuse;

St Augustine Secondary are on a bye.