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“Before [our] preseason, I set some goals,” Fatima College head coach Hutson “Baba” Charles told Wired868. “We are looking to make a clean sweep, and we are starting with this game. After this game we have three trophies to go.
“We are looking for the league, the North Zone Intercol and the National Intercol [trophies].”
One game, one trophy. So far so good for Fatima College, as they wrested the NGC SSFL Super Cup title from Presentation College (San Fernando) in the ceremonial kickoff affair of the Secondary Schools Football League 2024 calendar.
The Super Cup pits the reigning Premier Division champs (in this case, Fatima) against the National Intercol winners. For the second straight year, the Premier Division winners ruled supreme. (St Benedict’s College beat Fatima to the trophy in 2023.)
The occasion aside, there was little to recommend the contest, which SportsMax would be advised to purge from its archives.
Last year, a sumptuous volley by St Benedict’s forward Daniel Jones and an impressive individual performance by Derrel “Zoom Zoom” Garcia added a touch of class to the Super Cup as the southern outfit held on for a 4-3 win.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/Wired868
And it partially quelled queries about Benedict’s coach Randolph Boyce’s team list, which excluded the likes of Josiah Ochoa, Malachi Webb, Lyshaun Morris and Jeremiah Niles.
Yesterday, as Fatima were workmanlike but well short of entertaining, the question arose: where are Michael Chaves and Caden Trestrail?
Charles had an answer for their absences, along with those of National Under-16 midfielder Seth Hadeed and maverick playmaker Thomas Decle.
“They went and take a sweat [in a non-licensed competition], and management decided to ban them without speaking to me,” said Charles. “They just said these four players can’t play because they went and play a little fete match … They never asked me what was my take as technical director and head coach.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/Wired868
“All they said is these players aren’t playing Friday. I didn’t agree, but they said it was non-negotiable, so I said okay, we will go with what we have.”
Remarkably, even short-handed, Fatima were too much for a Presentation College with a half-dozen players with international experience within their ranks—including the National Under-20 trio of captain and central defender Cody Cooper, left back Duhrell Young, and midfielder Levi Jones.
“For me, it was like a first game for the season,” said Presentation head coach Shawn Cooper. “I thought we were slow in the build-up and careless. I think the heat also played a part and you saw at the end with Fatima.
“[…] I wasn’t looking for this performance—we were not good at all… It was a horrible game of football.”
With neither side particularly fluent, the game was decided by a mistake. Well, arguably, two errors.
The first came from Presentation left back, Young, who failed to make what should have been a simple interception of an attempted diagonal ball. Somehow, the ball went through him to opposing flanker Levi Smith, who advanced before pulling back for forward Lucas Correia, who finished well.
Most players, asked to go for goal from 18 yards with the entire back four and goalkeeper in front of them, would try to compensate for insecurity with power.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/Wired868
Correia assessed the situation, kept his calm and produced a fine first-time finish with the inside of his boot. It was, in its own way, a striker’s goal.
If there was an individual error in Fatima’s second goal, surely it was not made by a player. Inside the Presentation penalty area, Fatima substitute Jahaem “Yellows” Bailey—the younger brother of former standout Christian Bailey—let fly at goal, and the ball struck the arm of Cooper [C], who was less than five yards away.
The lanky Presentation defender did not appear to move his arm towards the ball, nor was it in an unnatural position. Yet referee Cecile Hinds pointed towards the spot.
Substitute Matthew Barrington made no mistake with the ensuing penalty kick.
“I thought that penalty was really harsh, and that really took away our impetus,” said Cooper [S]. “Before that, they were not really threatening. We were in the ascendancy and to get that goal really deflated us a bit. That was a horrible decision.”
Although the “Pres Lions” failed to execute on the day, it was interesting to see Cooper routinely push numbers into attack, which gave deep-lying playmaker Nkosi Foncette many offensive passing options.
O’Brien did not recover from the incident and had to be replaced by Logan Hamel-Smith. Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868
Marry that to their physical strength and organisation off the ball, and it isn’t difficult to see Presentation being a threat this season.
And, to press home the point, Cooper scored with a late header to narrow the deficit.
Fatima can win big games without their best players. What more do you need to know about their potency this season?
Photo: Daniel Prentice/Wired868
“The nucleus of our team came from our under-16s who did well last year,” said Charles, in reference to their National Under-16 title. “So I am still confident. We will have a good season.
“[…] We are looking for the league, the North Zone Intercol and the National Intercol [trophies]. We set our goals, and that is what we want to do.”
Newly promoted St Augustine Secondary will be the first to try and stop Fatima in the regular season. And the really bad news for the “Green Machine” is: Chaves, Trestrail, Hadeed and Decle are back!
Teams
Fatima College (4-4-1-1): 00.Shameal O’Brien (GK); (1.Logan Hamel-Smith GK 73); 24.Liam Gooding, 26.Matthew Barrington, 4.Yohance Atherton (captain), 3.Micaiah Leach (7.Jahaem Bailey 70); 22.Levi Smith, 17.Jedaiah King, 2.David Hospedales, 19.Jonathan Mason (14.Joziah Contant-Shing Hon 89); 9.Luke Correia (29.Josiah Fernandes 85); 11.Josiah Gobin (16.Savio Yearwood 82).
Unused substitutes: 20.Johan Syms.
Coach: Hutson Charles
Presentation College (San F’do) (4-2-3-1): 1.Renaldo Lee (GK); 3.Micah Brathwaite, 5.Cody Cooper (captain), 19.Kadon Elliott, 12.Duhrell Young; 8.Nkosi Foncette, 6.Levi Jones; 7.Roshaun Doobay (14.Malik Brathwaite 82), 17.Josiah Bain (9.Caleb Boyce 46), 11.Isaiah Jacob (13.Josiah Simmons 81); 10.Vaughn Clement.
Unused substitutes: 28.Marcelo Phillip (GK), 2.Terrance Worrell, 16.Joshua Bernard, 18.Gabriel Collins, 20.Akeal Neverson, 21.Jimally Renne, 23.Quincy Thomas, 27.Jordan Bernard.
Coach: Shawn Cooper
NGC SSFL Super Cup
(6 September 2024)
Fatima College 2 (Luke Correia 45+1, Matthew Barrington 79 pen), Presentation College 1 (Cody Cooper 90+6) at Hasely Crawford Stadium.
Editor’s Note: Click HERE to read Fatima Old Boys Association president Christian Flemming response to criticism from Fatima football coach Hutson ‘Baba’ Charles over internal suspension of Michael Chaves, Caden Trestrail, Thomas Decle and Seth Hadeed.
SSFL Premier Division fixtures
Match Day One
(Wed 11 Sep)
Arima North Secondary v St Benedict’s College, 3.30 pm, Arima Velodrome;
San Juan North v Queen’s Royal College, 3.30 pm, Bourg Mulatresse;
St Augustine Secondary v Fatima College, 3.30 pm, Warren Street;
Naparima College v East Mucurapo Secondary, 3.30 pm, Lewis Street;
Presentation (San F’do) v Miracle Ministries PHS, 3.30 pm, Mannie Ramjohn Stadium;
Speyside High v Malick Secondary, 3.30 pm, Speyside;
St Mary’s College v St Anthony’s College, 3.30 pm, Serpentine Road;
Trinity College East v Signal Hill Secondary, 3.30 pm, Trincity.
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Lasana Liburd is the managing director and chief editor at Wired868.com and a journalist with over 20 years experience at several Trinidad and Tobago and international publications including Play the Game, World Soccer, UK Guardian and the Trinidad Express.
