Two second-half goals from Malique Marshall and Marley Ramdass from the penalty spot earned St Anthony’s College a 2-0 victory over Queen’s Royal College (QRC) in the Boys Premiership Division of the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) at West Moorings Tuesday (November 3).
The win continued the consistent climb up the 17-team standings for the Tigers while ensuring that the Royalians dropped closer to relegation.
At 12th in the standings and in desperate need to avoid the relegation zone, QRC was fast into attack, forcing St Anthony’s to backpedal from early in the encounter. However, it was the home team that got the clearest of chances in the first 10 minutes. Christian Renne split the QRC defense in two with a pass that set Millington’s goal, but his attempt to lob the advancing goalkeeper sailed agonizingly over the crossbar in the 7th minute.
With just 13 goals from as many matches up to yesterday to their name, coach Kenwyne Jones and his Royalians appeared to be battling two enemies on the day, though Samson Williams tried desperately to fix it.
This they encountered face-to-face in the 14th minute from a build-up between Williams and Thompson down the right flank, with the latter delivering a pinpoint cross that was met with a glancing header by Samson, but goalkeeper Necose Moore pushed it wide with his diving outstretched left arm to preserve the scoreline.
For most of the half, QRC’s purposeful attacks were thwarted by the dogged Tigers’ defense whenever the ball approached the defensive third.
St. Anthony’s, the reigning North Zone InterCol champion, rebounded from a slow start to the season to a sixth-game unbeaten run that brought them well out of the relegation area. And in the 26th minute, they may feel unlucky not to score. This time Zachary Dickson was picked out from a left-sided centre, only for Dickson to hit his shot straight into the comfortable grasp of the goalkeeper.
The Royalians intensified their efforts in the moments leading to the halftime break, forcing consecutive corners from rapid attacks, but still it failed to faze the home team, as their attacks went abegging.
Thereafter, the QRC struggles continued in the 63rd minute. Thompson was put through on the right side from a ball that put him on course with Moore; however, Thompson’s low shot was pushed wide.
Ten minutes later, the Royalians were made to pay. Captain Shea Dolly and his defenders failed to clear a right-side corner, and Malique Marshall struck a low shot that trickled past the stranded Akinlade Jones in the QRC goal for the 1-0 advantage in the 75th minute.
Kenwyne Jones’ charges fought back in the moments that followed, but instead it was the Tigers who doubled their efforts when Dolly awkwardly brought Giovanni Bartholomew down in the area, forcing the referee to point to the penalty spot in the 88th minute. And Ramdass took his time and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way for a 2-0 victory.
Jones’ charges will have it all to do with avoiding relegation.
Meanwhile, St. Mary’s College, with their 5-1 victory, has maintained the lead with 36 points, with defending champions Naparima College close on their heels with 34 points.
TODAY’S MATCHES
Signall Hill- 2 (Callany Job 40th, J’meke Watkins 66th) vs Fatima- 1 (Jahaem Bailey 67th)
Pres-0 vs Naps- 3 (Jabari Rodriguez 7th, 52nd, Elijah Edwards 41st)
Arima North 4 (Kaylon Alexander 14th, Joshua Bristol 16th, Javan Smith 38th) vs St Augustine- 3 (Jimel Jerome 1st, Luke Eccles 30th, Israel Holder 42nd, 74th)
Hillview- 1 (Cristiano Hinds 44th pen) vs Malick- 0
San Juan North- 1 (David O’Brien 2nd) vs Speyside- 1 (Jeremiah Wickham 61st)
St Anthony’s- 2 (Malique Marshall 75th, Marley Ramdass 88th) vs QRC
St Benedict’s- 9 (Kanye Glasgow 7th, 34th, 57th, 89th, Samuel Balfour 13th, Jelani Stoute 29th, Jaylon Forbes 32nd, 44th, 90+5) vs Mucurapo West- 0
Trinity College Moka- 1 (Kelson Williams 84th) vs St Mary’s College- 5 (Kimmani Baldwin 9th, Jaedon Thomas 46th, Josiah Hunte 57th, Jamari Gilkes 65th, Liam Young 90+1)
Latest SSFL Standings
Pos*Teams*P*W*D*L*GF*GA*GD*Pts
1. St. Mary’s*14*11*3*0*37*9*28*36
2. Naparima*14*11*1*2*45*10*35*34
3. Signal Hill*14*11*1*2*33*13*20*34
4. St Benedict’s*15*9*4*3*41*11*30*31
5. Presentation*14*8*3*3*27*15*12*27
6. Fatima*14*7*5*2*39*20*19*26
7. Hillview*14*8*2*4*40*23*17*26
8. St Anthony’s*14*6*3*5*25*24*1*21
9. Arima North*14*6*1*7*3031-1*19
10. Speyside*14*5*2*7*16*36*-20*17
11. Malick*14*4*1*9*29*34*-5*13
12. QRC*14*3*3*8*13*21*-8*12
13. San Juan North*14*3*2*9*17*30*-13*11
14. St Augustine*14*3*2*9*22*45*-23*11
15. Trinity Moka*14*2*3*9*24*51*-27*9
16. Mucurapo West*15*2*2*11*14*48*-34*8
17. Trinity East*14*1*2*11*14*49*-35*5
