Digicel T&T Pro League duo Central FC and T&TEC will be seeking to put their wretched league form behind them and create some club history when they contest the first semifinal of the T&T Football Federation FA Trophy 2012/2013 competition at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva, from 6 pm today.
Currently, T&TEC is bottom of the eight-team Pro League standings, while Central FC is one spot above after losing 1-0 and drawing 0-0 with St Ann's Rangers and Police, respectively, on Saturday. Both teams are seeking a first ever place in the FA final.
However, their respective coaches, Dexter Cyrus (T&TEC) and Terry Fenwick (Central FC), have been there before and will no doubt have their teams ready for what is expected to be a close encounter.
Fenwick led San Juan Jabloteh to glory on three occasions and will be eager to do the same with his new club which is in its first year as a professional club.
Cyrus was a player with the now defunct Trintoc and will also be desperate to achieve the feat as coach in his team's second season in the top flight.
This is the second meeting this season between T&TEC and Central FC, with the latter coming away with a 2-1 win in a Pro League clash.
Central has been bolstered by the January signings of Antiguan duo Peter Byers and Troy Dublin along with Rennie Britto, Hector Sam, Rundell Winchester and Omar Charles.
The winner of tonight's clash will book a spot in the March 1 final against the winner of the semifinal between 2003 winner North East Stars and the winner of today's rescheduled quarterfinal winner between title-holder and two-time winner Neal & Massy Caledonia AIA and Stokely Vale.
This match will be played next Wednesday.
Tonight's meeting between Caledonia and Stokely Vale comes off at Plymouth Recreation Ground, Plymouth, from 5 pm after the initial clash between Caledonia and Stokely Vale scheduled for last week was called off due to a no show of officials.
Stokely Vale will fancy its chances of another win over Caledonia, having done so in the Round-of-16 of the Toyota Classic competition 6-5 on sudden-death penalties after a 3-3 draw.
Caledonia will be without nine first-team regulars who have all gone on trials either in Europe or USA.
They include T&T internationals Jamal Gay, Radanfah Abu Bakr, Ataulla Guerra, Nuru Abdullah Muhammad and Densil Theobald as well Conrod Smith, Guyanese duo Walter Moore and Trayon Bobb, and St Vincent and the Grenadines' Cornelius Stewart all overseas on trials.
In their absence, Caledonia, which is second on the Pro League table, and has already won the First Citizens Cup has beefed up its squad with Grenadian goalkeeper Shemel Louison, midfielder Sherron Joseph, younger brother of long-standing right-back Kareem Joseph, former T&TEC player Vurlon Mills, Antigua & Barbuda pair Akeem Thomas and Elvis Thomas, and St Vincent and the Grenadines' Shemol Trimmingham.
In last week's quarterfinals, Stars secured a 4-2 penalty-kicks victory over Central Football Association's Cunupia FC following a 1-1 draw; Central FC blanked Secondary Schools Football League's Shiva Boys' Hindu College 2-0 and T&TEC needed kicks from the penalty spot to beat Pt Fortin Civic Centre, winners of SFA treble crown.
Quarterfinal Results
Cunupia 1 (Bobbington King 11th) vs North East Stars 1 (Marcus Gomez 7th)–Stars won 4-2 on penalty-kicks
Central FC 2 (Tyrone Charles 78th, Quincy Charles 88th) vs Shiva Boys 0
Pt Fortin CC 1 (Marcus Joseph 36th) vs T&TEC (Keeron Benito 85th pen)–T&TEC won 3-1 on penalty-kicks
Fixtures (Quarterfinal)
Today:
Caledonia AIA vs Stokely Vale, Plymouth Recreation Ground, 5 pm
Semifinals (Today)
Central FC vs T&TEC FC, Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva, 6 pm
Semifinal: Wednesday Jan 23
North East Stars vs Caledonia/Stokely Vale winner, Venue TBA.
Final:
Friday March 1
