Nigel Simon
Title-holders North East Stars kicked off defence of its T&T Football Association FA Trophy title with a 5-1 hammering of Super League’s Siparia Spurs in their round-of-64 clash at Palo Seco Recreation Ground, Palo Seco on Saturday.
Keston George opened the scoring for the current T&T Pro League leaders’ Stars two minutes before the half-time interval for a 1-0 advantage, but three minutes into the second-half, Sylvester Teesdale, a former Pro League campaigner drew Spurs even.
Anslem Jackson then restored the Sangre Grande-based Stars lead in the 69th minute, while team-mates Qian Grosvenor (83rd_, Jalani Felix (90th) and Elton John, two minutes into time added on from the penalty-spot added late items to seal the issue.
It was a good opening round of matches for most of the Pro League clubs which faced lower league opposition, with no upsets being registered as former winners, W Connection, Defence Force, Police FC (3) and San Juan Jabloteh (3) as well as St Ann’s Rangers, Club Sando and Pt Fortin Civic.
In the lone shock result, Morvant Caledonia who lifted the prestigious title in 2008, 2011/12 and 2012/13, stunned three-time reigning Pro League champions and two-time FA runner-up, Central FC 2-0 with Sheldon Holder (27th) and Kareem Joseph (65th) the players on target at Hasely Crawford Stadium Training Field, Mucurapo on Saturday, while Police FC needed a last gasp Jibri Mc David item to sneak past WASA FC of the Super League 2-1 at St Joseph.
On Sunday at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva, four-time champions W Connection recorded the largest win of the round, 12-0 over Eastern Counties Football Union’s Tamana United led by hat-tricks from Malik St. Prix and Marcus Joseph.
The 2017 FA Trophy will involve all ten (10) Pro League clubs, nineteen (19) Super League sides, six (6) each from the Northern FA, Eastern FA, Central FA, Southern FA and Tobago FA, and five from the Eastern Counties Football Union (ECFU)—all hoping to advance to the TT$100,000 final.
The overall champions will, in fact, walk away with a total purse of TT$135,000 due to—for the first time in the tournament which have gone without prize money in its last few editions—a prize structure that will see winning teams of the round-of-64, round-of-32, round-of-16, quarterfinals, and semifinals earn TT$3,000., TT$5,000., TT$7,000., TT$9,000. and TT$11,000. respectively.
Two years ago, when the competition was last contested, North East Stars, led by former coach Angus Eve, won their second FA Trophy by defeating four-time former winners W Connection 5-4 on penalties following a 0-0 draw at Couva.
King also enjoyed FA Trophy success when he defeated Connection in the 2009 final to hand the now defunct Joe Public the crown with a 3-2 win.
The draw for the round-of-32 will take place on Friday September 22, with matches set to come off on September 30 and October 1.
2017 T&TFFA FA Trophy round-of-64 results:
Morvant Caledonia Utd (Pro League) 2 (Sheldon Holder 27’, Kareem Joseph 65’) vs Central FC (Pro League) 0
Jabloteh (Pro League) 7 (Sean Bonval 5’, 27’, Julio Noel 8’, Kadeem Hutchinson 10’, Jairo Lombardo 33’, 68’, Dominic Douglas 79’) vs La Horquetta XF (EFA) 0
N/East Stars (Pro League) 5 (Anselm Jackson 69th, Jalani Felix 90th, Keston George 43th, Qian Grosvenor 83rd, Elton John 90’+2 pen.) vs Siparia Spurs (SL) 1 (Sylvester Teesdale 52’)
W Connection (Pro League) 12 (Ronell Paul 4’, Malik St. Prix 14’, 18’, 23’, Neil Benjamin 15’, 83’, Marcus Joseph 27’, 30’, 71’, Daniel Diaz 65’, Dimitri Apai 78’, 80’) vs Tamana United (ECFU) 0
St Ann’s Rangers (Pro League) 1 (Micah Lansiquot 52’) vs Perseverance Ball Runners (CFA) 0
Club Sando (Pro League) 2 (Josiah Trimmingham 8th, Akeem Redhead 38th) vs Cultural Roots (NFA) 1 (Christon Freitas 68’th
Pt Fortin Civic (Pro League) 5 (Jabari Mitchell 19th, 49th, 70th, Keron Neptune 74th, Jerimiah Kesar 89th) vs Red Hill FC (EFA) 1 (Josiah Johnson 12th)
Defence Force (Pro League) 3 (Devorn Jorsling, Jamali Garica, Jameel Cooper) vs Belmont FC (NFA) 0 vs
Police FC (Pro League) 2 (Kareem Freitas, Jibri Mc David) vs WASA FC (SL) 1 (Gary Glasgow) 0
1976 FC Phoenix (SL) 2 (Rohan Sebro 54th, 90th) vs Goal City FC (TFA) 1 (Kerlon Ferguson 44th)
Bethel FC (SL) 3 bt Calder Hall FC (TFA) 2
Serial Strikers (SFA) 0 vs Pitchmen FC (SFA) 0 - Pitchment FC won 5-4 on penalties
Perseverance Ball Runners (CFA) 1 vs Erin FC (SFA) 1 - Ball Runners won 7-6 on penalties
UTT (SL) 2 vs Malta Carib Alcons (NFA) 1
Santa Flora FC (SFA) 1 vs Harlem Strikers (SL) 0
Signal Hill United (THA) 1 vs RSSR (NFA) 0
San Fernando Giants (SFA) 2 vs St Francois Nationals (NFA) 1
Stokely Vale FC (SL) 3 vs Step By Step Maple (NFA) 0 - by default
Cunupia FC (SL) 4 vs Petit Valley United (SL) 1
WASA FC (EFA) 1 vs FC Maloney (EFA) 0
Black Rock FC (TFA) 3 vs Fire Service FC (CFA) 0 - by default
T&T Prisons FC (SL) 1 vs Manzan United (ECFU) 0
FC Santa Rosa (SL) 3 vs QPCC (SL) 0
Central 500 Spartans (SL) 1 vs Marabella Family Crisis Centre (SL) 1 - Spartans won 5-4 on penalties
Leeds FC (TFA) 3 vs Creek SCC (EFA) 0 - by default
Guaya United (SL) 1 vs D’Marie Hill Youths (ECFU) 0
Police FC (SL) 3 vs Pele Pele (SFA) 0 - by default
Central Soccer World (CFA) 1 vs Harlem Strikers (CFA) 0
Club Sando Moruga (SL) 2 vs Perseverance United (CFA) 1
Eagles FC (CFA) 1 vs Matura All Stars (ECFU) 1 - Matura All Stars 10-9 on penalties
Biche United (ECFU) 2 vs Trinity Rangers (EFA) 2 - Trinity Rangers won 4-2 on penalties
Defence Force FC (SL) vs Youth Stars (SL) - Match Did Not Play
