Intercol 24: Fatima hold off Sween’s San Juan in semis, but lose Trestrail

Fatima College are into the SSFL National Intercol final for the second time in three years, after a 2-0 win over San Juan North Secondary this evening at the Diego Martin Sporting Complex.

But their victory came at a cost. Fatima will face either St Benedict’s College or Signal Hill Secondary next Thursday without star midfielder and leading goal scorer Caden Trestrail.

Trestrail scored Fatima’s second goal today. But, as his teammates walked off the field to a standing ovation from their supporters, assistant coach Russell Sutton’s greeting wiped the smile off his face.

Visibly upset, the National Under-17 player headed to his team manager, Stephen ‘Bison’ Williams, who confirmed the bad news.

Trestrail, who was booked by referee Timothy Derry for a late—and needless—challenge on San Juan North midfielder Daniel Lewis, is now suspended for the 2024 National Intercol final because of successive yellow cards.

He could at least take consolation in knowing he played his part today against awkward opponents.

San Juan North travelled to Diego Martin without veteran head coach Jerry Moe, who is abroad. Still, the East Zone champions were the brighter of the two teams after kick-off and first to threaten the opposing goal.

In the eighth minute, star attacker Lindell Sween danced around Fatima’s combative midfielder Jedaiah King and forced a low save from opposing custodian Shamael O’Brian from 25 yards.

Sween and his front three of Jadiel Joseph, Jahdel Chase-Charles and Jelani Valentine (from left to right) were always a handful whenever they crossed into enemy territory. The problem for the team from Bourg Mulatresse was how to get the ball to them.

Time and again, goalkeeper D’Andre Giddens pumped long balls into the opposing half from goal kicks despite the fact that none of San Juan’s attacking quartet had much aerial presence—certainly not enough to trouble the likes of towering Fatima left back Micaiah Leach and captain Yohance Atherton.

At about the 18th minute, after surrendering maybe half a dozen balls through that route, San Juan ordered a change. Defender Kent Guy took over from Giddens in trying to wallop the ball upfield.

Clearly, the San Juan contingent had not properly sussed out what the problem was.

On each turnover, Fatima ferried the ball straight to their own front three of wingers Savio Yearwood and Levi Smith and forward Jahaem Bailey.

Smith went around opposing full-back Jaheem Danclar in the ninth minute and crossed for Luke Correia, whose header clipped the top of the bar.

In the 17th minute, Yearwood had a wild slice at goal when played through by Caden Trestrail.

Then, in the 21st minute, came the breakthrough.

Guy was lucky not to be punished when he misjudged a left-side cross that hit him awkwardly in the midriff and went out for a corner kick. The San Juan defence switched off again from the set piece, as noone went out to defend a short corner routine between Trestrail and Bailey.

And, to top it off, Giddens dropped Bailey’s swerving cross for King to tap home the loose ball.

When, in top-flight football, commentators derisively sneer at “schoolboy defending”, that would be what they have in mind.

“Sah wah! Sah wah!”

The East Zone outfit had not come this far to be also-rans. And, with no goal kicks on order, San Juan gradually took command of the midfield.

On the left flank, Joseph was more than Fatima’s right back, David Hospedales, could handle. And his ball manipulation, aided and abetted by Sween’s surging forward runs and eye for a pass, was a constant threat.

At the interval, O’Brian, Fatima’s diminutive custodian, might be the only player who could explain why the scores were not level.

Twice, O’Brian stretched to keep out blasts from Joseph and Sween—saves bettered by a fine close-range block from Chase-Charles in first-half stoppage time and a tremendous block from an angled Valentine effort just before the break.

San Juan North players, inexplicably, had two jobs by now. One was to find an equaliser; the other, which was unfortunately tied to their first ask, was to act as ball boys.

The 2024 National Intercol semifinal kicked off in front of a live television audience around the Caribbean and North America, with no ball boys and only two spare footballs —one behind each goalpost.

It was beyond farcical.

“A big tournament like this, and they have no ball boys?!” a San Juan North supporter lamented.

San Juan North manager Stephen Clarke, as always, was generous in his response.

“The North Zone executive is supposed to ensure that the home team provides that,” said Clarke, who is a member of the SSFL East Zone himself. “It is very unfortunate—but it happened to both teams. Both teams had to deal with the same thing.”

Fatima, of course, did not need the ball in play. And the sight of their players waiting for San Juan boys to fetch them the ball was jarring.

“They never asked us to bring ball boys,” Williams told Wired868. “For the whole of the Intercol, we were the first mentioned team—and we had no ball boys.”

It was all San Juan North in the second half, as the Fatima midfield was shut down, and defenders opted for long clearances with minimal success.

Danclar should have equalised in the 54th minute, as O’Brian flapped at a long throw—only to head just wide of the far corner.

Three minutes later, Sween was inches away with a screaming, long-distance free kick that seemed to have been hit all the way from Diamond Vale.

But San Juan players’ ball boys were running out of steam, and stand-in head coach Richard De Couteau’s reluctance to turn to his substitutes told its own story.

Meanwhile, Fatima College head coach Hutson “Baba” Charles had the luxury of introducing players like forward Michael Chaves and midfielder Seth Hadeed—a national under-20 forward and national under-17 midfielder, respectively—from off the bench.

As the game passed the 70th-minute mark, the pendulum was swinging the other way.

Chaves tested Giddens with a speculative effort from outside the area in the 72nd minute and then a snapshot from 18 yards in the 80th minute. On both occasions, the often erratic goalkeeper held on.

Fatima won a penalty in the 81st minute, as Danclar horribly mistimed a tackle in the box and caught Correia with a high boot.

But Giddens came up trumps again (is that term still politically correct) with a flying save to thwart Fatima defender and penalty specialist Matthew Barrington.

“Let’s go, Sah Wah!” bellowed the supporters. But San Juan North were running on fumes now. And Fatima sensed it.

Trestrail forced another low save from Giddens in the 84th minute, before the overworked San Juan custodian made his first error of the second half. He spilled a driven effort from Chaves, and Trestrail was waiting to convert the loose ball.

“It was a very competitive game,” said Clarke. “It could have gone either way. We dominated the game for some periods—but we missed our chances, and they scored theirs. That’s life.”

Williams confirmed that Fatima did not have it all their way.

“I think we nullified their main threat, which was Sween,” said the Fatima manager. “I think we could have put down the ball and play a little more—but so it goes sometimes. We have one more hurdle to get over.”

They will have to cross that hurdle without Trestrail. His goal against San Juan North this evening was his 14th item of the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) season. And his last.

The Fatima coaching staff have their work cut out in trying to replace the goal threat and astute passing range of the talented 16-year-old in next Thursday’s final.

(Teams)

Fatima College (4-1-4-1): 00.Shameal O’Brian (GK); 2.David Hospedales, 4.Yohance Atherton (captain), 26.Matthew Barrington, 19.Micaiah Leach; 17.Jedaiah King (8.Seth Hadeed 89); 22.Levi Smith (11.Josiah Gobin 83), 9.Luke Correia, 23.Caden Trestrail, 16.Savio Yearwood (13.Michael Chaves 63); 7.Jahaem Bailey (14.Joziah Contant-Shing Hon 90).

Unused substitutes: 1.Jayden Lucas (GK), 40.Logan Hamel-Smith (GK), 24.Immanuel Smith-Oliver, 29.Josiah Fernandes.

Coach: Hutson Charles

San Juan North Secondary (4-2-3-1): 30.D’Andre Giddens (GK); 14.Desailly Lewis (captain), 6.Jaheshua Ferguson, 15.Kent Guy, 10.Jaheem Danclar; 21.Isaiah Audain, 19.Daniel Lewis; 16.Jelani Valentine (8.Jamaludin Blandin 75), 18.Lindell Sween, 11.Jadiel Joseph; 17.Jahdel Chase-Charles (7.Elizsha Rogers 89).

Unused substitutes: 1.Elijah Lawrence (GK), 3.Levan Assevero, 4.Mathyyas Charles, 20.Jesse Chadband, 22.Anthony Lewis, 23.Michel Baptiste, 24.Nahi Morrison.

Coach: Richard De Couteau

Referee: Timothy Derry

Today’s Intercol result

(Thu 28 Nov)

Fatima College 2 (Jedaiah King 21, Caden Trestrail 88), San Juan North 0 at Diego Martin Complex.

Upcoming fixtures

(Fri 29 Nov)

Signal Hill Secondary v St Benedict’s College, semifinal, 4.30 pm, Ato Boldon Stadium;

(Thu 5 Dec)

National Intercol final, 5.30 pm, Ato Boldon Stadium.