Former national youth striker Brent Sam and out-of-favour national defender Tyrone Charles scored second-half goals as San Juan Jabloteh ended a three-match winless run with a 2-0 defeat of in-form Club Sando on Friday night.
With the win in the feature match of the double-header at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, Jabloteh which was beaten in its previous two matches by front-runners, Central FC (2-1) and W Connection (3-0), improved to 19 points in third spot, six off two-time defending champions Central FC while W Connection is second with 22.
Sam, the brother of former national and England-based striker Hector Sam, broke the deadlock in the 50th minute while Charles added the insurance item in the 71st, for a much needed win for Jabloteh, ending the three-match winning streak of former Jabloteh player and coach, Angus Eve's Club Sando, which stayed fifth on 13 points, the same as Ma Pau Stars.
In the night's opening match, struggling duo, Morvant Caledonia United and Pt Fortin Civic shared the points in a 2-2 draw.
Pt Fortin Civic, which has not won a league match for the season to date, twice found itself in winning positions with a double strike from Jamille Boatswain, in the 34th and 46th, his fourth in two matches, after a brace as well in a 7-2 loss to Defence Force. However, the Rajesh Latchoo-coached Morvant Caledonia, which has not won a league match since the opening day of the season on September 30, 3-1 over the same opponent, managed to conjure up an equaliser on both occasions, first through Sheldon Holder two minutes before the half-time whistle, and then on the hour mark by club stalwart, Kareem Joseph.
The result left Morvant Caledonia, second from bottom on the 10-team table with seven points, six ahead of Pt Fortin Civic.
Tomorrow, attention will turn to the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva, where Central FC, which captured the Rawle Fletcher Trophy as Round One winners, comes up against W Connection in a top-of-the-table duel, dubbed the "Couva Classico" while in-form Defence Force faces St Ann's Rangers on Tuesday from 6 pm at Mucurapo.
Friday's results
Morvant Caledonia United 2 (Sheldon Holder 43rd, Kareem Joseph 60th) vs Pt Fortin Civic 2 (Jamille Boatswain 34th, 46th)
San Juan Jabloteh 2 (Brent Sam 50th, Tyrone Charles 71st) vs Club Sando 0
Current standings:
Teams P W D L F A Pts
1. Central FC 9 8 1 0 21 9 25
2. W Connection 9 7 1 1 28 8 22
3. Jabloteh 10 6 1 3 19 13 19
4. Ma Pau 9 4 1 4 14 14 13
5. Club Sando 10 4 1 5 18 19 13
6. Police 9 3 2 4 18 15 11
7. Rangers 9 3 2 4 13 15 11
8. Defence Force 9 3 1 5 14 17 10
9. M/C United 10 1 4 5 15 21 7
10. Pt Fortin Civic 10 0 2 8 9 38 2
Upcoming fixtures–Tomorrow
Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva:
W Connection vs Central FC, 6.30 pm
Tuesday (HCS, Mucurapo)
St Ann's Rangers vs Defence Force, 6 pm
Police FC vs Ma Pau Stars, 8 pm