SSFL 24: East Mucurapo rally to edge Trinity East; St Anthony’s surprise Fatima

East Mucurapo Secondary climbed out of the relegation zone today, at the midway mark of the 2024 Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) Premier Division season, with a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over fellow strugglers Trinity College East at Fatima ground in Mucurapo.

The result saw East Mucurapo climb from 15th place in the 16-team standings to 13th, with six points. They trail 12nd place Trinity East by just goal difference.

The bottom three schools (from 14th to 16th) will be demoted at the end of the season.

Elsewhere in the Premier Division, St Benedict’s College took advantage of Fatima College’s first loss of the season to pull level on points with the defending champions.

Fatima, who lost 2-1 away to St Anthony’s College, have 16 points from seven matches and a superior goal difference to St Benedict’s. However, the southern outfit have a game in hand against the “Westmoorings Tigers”.

Third place Presentation College (San Fernando) were also in action today but could not find a winner against Arima North Secondary, with the contest ending goalless.

The result saw the “Dial Dynamos” slip one place to fifth, after Naparima College edged them to fourth on goal difference courtesy of a 6-0 triumph against Miracle Ministries Pentecostal High School.

Miracle Ministries, with one win and six defeats this season, are bottom of the Premier Division table.

Today, East Mucurapo took a step in the opposite direction. But they did it the hard way.

Visitors Trinity College East went ahead within the first five minutes, as midfielder Dexter Croal converted a penalty kick after referee Charlize Hood penalised a handled ball by a Mucurapo defender.

It was tough for the fans (either on the sidelines or in the southern stand) to decipher the numbers on the Trinity East players’ jerseys—and equally difficult to understand why the visitors did not go for the jugular.

Instead, the “Blue Hawks”, clad in yellow, decided to hold on to their one-goal lead and, in the process, allowed East Mucurapo to have as much ball possession as possible.

East Mucurapo centre-forward Keion Dottin had a couple of chances to level the scores for his team.

In the 20th minute, the lanky Dottin brushed off a challenge from a defender but shot wide of the target. Moments later, he raced on to a through-ball but skied his right-footed shot overbar.

“Pressure does buss pipe”, goes the saying, and the sustained attacks by East Mucurapo paid off in the 38th minute. Midfielder Kadeem Morrison, positioned on the left flank, collected a ball from Jalane Browne and directed a right-footed shot to the left of goalkeeper Jadon Pollard.

East Mucurapo changed their mode of attacks in the second half, placing more emphasis on shooting from outside the penalty box.

One such event occurred in the 63rd minute, with Pollard forced into a good save to his left, to deny Browne from scoring the go-ahead goal for the home team.

Pollard went from hero to zero eight minutes later, as he was not strong enough to push away a shot from 25 metres out by Makai Simmons. The Trinity East goalkeeper got his right hand to the ball, but only parried the shot into his own net.

Former Trinidad and Tobago midfielder, and East Mucurapo coach Dale Saunders, commended his players for the courage they showed to get the better of Trinity East.

“I saw a lot of improvement today—I see the guys are giving a lot more effort and they wanted to win,” said Saunders, who described Trinity East’s opening goal as a wake-up call for his players. “[…] I’m proud of the boys, the work they’re putting in. They’re young but you’re seeing the improvement.”

The East Mucurapo coach pointed out that his players were instructed to change their attacking approach in the second half, shifting from relying on Dottin to taking more long-range shots.

“Yesterday, we practised a lot of long-range shooting, from as far as 20 yards,” he said. “You’re seeing the boys trying to execute.”

Saunders is not too concerned about the team’s struggles this season.

“I know they need time, and you have to be patient with them, because they are very young, first-timers, no experience,” he said. “But, as the days go by, they’re getting better.”

Trinity East coach, Dwayne Davis, declined to be interviewed after the match.

Teams

East Mucurapo Secondary (4-5-1): 1. Orlando Francis (GK); 24.Malcom Young, 4.Elijah Edwards (captain), 5.Malachi Henry, 2.Devonte Joseph; 10.Makai Simmons, 8.Gershon Chase (9.Khedosa Batson 61), 20.Akeem DeSuza, 12.Jalane Browne, 11.Kadeem Morrison (15.Jaydon Popwell 90); 19. (13.Keysan Haynes 50), 23.Hezekiah Charles 85).

Unused substitutes: 3.Jibreel Williams, 25.Jayden Lewis.

Coach: Dale Saunders

Trinity College East (4-3-3):1.Jadon Pollard (GK); 2.Zahir Ramkissoon (13.Shane Burnett-Mattis 66), 6.Jehrell Ignatius, 4.Uzochi Bacchus, 25.Anderson Barnwell (21.Ethan Fortune 81); 11.Xavier Maricheau (18.Jonathan Emrith 55), 5.Dexter Croal, 7.Deisean Plaza (captain); 24.Amani Lopez (8.Jakwon Howell 72), 9.Elijah Diaz (14.Josiah Thompson 75), 10.Khaleem Prince.

Unused substitutes: 20.Daniel Bazzey, 22.Alexis Ambrose.

Coach: Dwayne Davis

Referee: Charlize Hood

2024 SSFL Premier Division

Pos	Club	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Fatima	15	12	2	1	50	11	39	38
2	Presentation	15	11	2	2	33	10	23	35
3	St Anthony's	15	11	0	4	38	19	19	33
4	St Benedict's	15	9	2	4	28	16	12	29
5	Arima North	15	6	6	3	26	14	12	24
6	QRC	15	7	3	5	24	19	5	24
7	Naparima	15	6	4	5	26	19	7	22
8	San Juan	15	7	1	7	28	27	1	22
9	Signal Hill	15	6	3	6	26	28	-2	21
10	Malick	15	6	2	7	30	32	-2	20
11	St Mary's	15	5	1	9	17	29	-12	16
12	St Augustine	15	4	3	8	11	34	-23	15
13	Trinity East	15	4	1	10	20	30	-10	13
14	Speyside	15	3	3	9	21	34	-13	12
15	Mucurapo	15	4	0	11	14	27	-13	12
16	Miracle Ministries	15	2	1	12	8	51	-43	7

SSFL Premier Division results

(Wed 2 Oct)

East Mucurapo Secondary 2 (Kadeem Morrison 38, Makai Simmons 71), Trinity College East 1 (Dexter Croal 5 pen) at Mucurapo Road;

Miracle Ministries PHS 0, Naparima College 6 (Jabari Rodriguez 2, 28, Xavier France 18, Mikheil Clement 44, Israel Joseph 82, Jerrel Cooper 89) at Lewis Street;

Presentation (San F’do) 0, Arima North Secondary 0 at Mannie Ramjohn Stadium;

Queen’s Royal College 2 (Stephon James, Jasai Theophilus), Malick Secondary 0 at QRC;

St Anthony’s College 2 (Jean-Marc Thomas 24, Andell Fraser 66), Fatima College 1 (Jahaem Bailey 68) at Westmoorings;

St Benedict’s College 1 (Josiah Ochoa pen), San Juan North 0 at Mahaica Sporting Complex;

St Mary’s College 2 (Joshua Charlerie, Kyle Phillip), St Augustine Secondary 0 at Serpentine Road.

Upcoming fixtures

(Sat 5 Oct)

St Benedict’s College v Fatima College, 4pm, Mahaica Sporting Complex;

San Juan North v Arima North Secondary, 4pm, Bourg Mulatrasse;

Malick Secondary v Naparima College, 4pm, Serpentine Road;

East Mucurapo Secondary v St Mary’s College, 4pm, Mucurapo Road;

Presentation (San F’do) v Speyside High, 4pm, Mannie Ramjohn Stadium;

Signal Hill Secondary v Queen’s Royal College, 4pm, Signal Hill;

St Anthony’s College v Miracle Ministries PHS, 4pm, Westmoorings;

Trinity College East v St Augustine Secondary, 4pm, Trincity.

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Joel Bailey

Joel Bailey is an experienced sport writer with over two decades’ experience at the Trinidad Newsday.