Senior Sports Reporter
walter.alibey@guardian.co.tt
Fatima College is on the verge of capturing the Premier Division title of the Secondary Schools Football League after yesterday’s impressive 3-0 victory over Bishop’s High School in Tobago yesterday.
The result sent the Fatima men to 31 points with three more rounds of matches to go. Second is San Juan North Secondary who dropped two points in a 1-1 tie with Malick Secondary for a total of 26 points while St Benedict’s also moved to 26 points by beating Queen’s Royal College at home 4-2.
Fatima will now have to lose at least two matches to surrender the title to any team.
Meanwhile, a hat-trick from Brandon Parks, coupled with braces from Maalik Jarvis and Nieem Taylor stood out as East Mucurapo Secondary battled past Pleasantville Secondary 8-5 in the Premier Division yesterday at Trinity College Ground in Moka.
Coach Dale Saunders’ prediction of a ten-goal victory seemed to have borne early fruits as Nieem Taylor fired them into the lead after just two minutes. But the pair of Jarvis and Parks almost built camps in the Pleasantville goal area all afternoon long.
Taylor, the scorer of the opening goal, was pushed to the ground in the ninth minute, as East Mucurapo sought a cushion for Taylor’s first goal. And from the freekick, Taylor with a thumping shot that goalkeeper Khylon Clark could only parry into his six-yard box, for Park to muscle his marker off the ball before hitting into the empty net for a 2-0 advantage.
Later, Jarvis then got his name on the scoresheet when he was upended on his way to the Pleasantville goal in the tenth minute. The referee pointed to the penalty spot and Jarvis picked himself up to send Clark the wrong way for a 3-0 lead.
Still, with a dominant display from the start, East Mucurapo was far from finished as they sought more goals. Parks was the target in the 19th minute when Al-Kalipha Henry made tracks down the left flank and centred for the oncoming Park to hit home.
Pleasantville, promoted from last season’s play-off, struggled to find the form that earned them that promotion. And it showed with a weak right side that East Mucurapo exploited all afternoon long.
Goal number five came as Kamali Henry was fed a ball down the left flank and he turned past his marker before hitting it hard and low past the bewildered Clark in the Pleasantville goal.
In the 34th minute, East Mucurapo sealed a six-goal advantage heading to the half-way break.
For a second time, Henry (Al-Kalipha) takes the Pleasantville defence for a run down the left flank and centred for a sliding Parks to meet and hit into an empty net for a 6-0 lead.
A Pleasantville win seemed like a mere matter of formality, but East Mucurapo surprised all with a display of true grit that brought them within a three-goal margin at the end.
Pleasantville, not only increased their resistance but battled tooth and nail in a true display of determination. But first, Taylor got a clear sight at goal, and he drilled the ball low past Clark from some 20 yards out in the 50th minute.
A minute later, Jarvis got his hat-trick as he galloped onto a neatly threaded ball from Parks and he beat the goalkeeper with a fierce shot that rattled into the Pleasantville nets.
With that goal, the home team was just two goals away from their prediction until Pleasantville almost pulled a surprise upset that would have gone down in SSFL history. Led by a double from Kelon Williams, the visitors caused hearts to race before the referee could sound his whistle to signal the end.