Goalkeeper Cleon John lived up to his glowing reputation as a shot-stopper when he pulled off two saves in the penalty-kicks shootout to secure a 4-2 win for North East Stars over Defence Force in the Toyota Classic final at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo.
This after Stars' got a last gasp equaliser from Keryn Navarro to earn a 2-2 draw at the end of regulation time before former soldier John heroics earned his club the $50,000 top prize and himself, the Most Valuable Player award, and rightfully so.
Earlier on, Stars' looked far from being the winner as Defence Force, playing without head coach Ross Russell and the quartet of Devorn Jorsling, Richard Roy, Curtis Gonzales and Kevon Carter, all through national football duties, started the brighter of both teams with defender, turn midfielder Aklie Edwards enjoying free way down the left flank.
However, against the run of play, Stars' took the lead when left-back Glenton Wolfe was first to react to a loose ball in the Defence Force 18-yard-box and fired past goalkeeper Kevin Graham, who seconds earlier blocked a Micah Lewis effort.
At the other end of the field, Defence Force, despite controlling most of the possession failed to serious threaten John's goal with only striker Josimar Belgrave, the scorer of a second-half hat-trick against Stars in their 3-3 league draw last month, leading the attack alongside defender Michael Edwards, in the absence of Jorsling and Roy.
Five minutes before the interval, North East Stars' coach, Angus Eve, like John, a former soldier was forced into an early substitution when Wolfe pulled up with an injury, however, his team still led 1-0 at the half. On the resumption, Defence
Force continued to command play in the midfield and eventually drew level via an unlikely source in defender Rodell Elcock, who glanced in a header from a Corey Rivers cross.
Defence Force stand-in coach, Marvin Gordon sensing his team was in full command then introduced Kerry "Crampy" Joseph and Sean Narcis for the ineffective Edwards and Ross Russell Jr, the son of the absent coach, in the 59th and 63rd minute, respectively.
Joseph twice created chances for Jemel Sebro to put their team ahead, only for the latter to fire wide of the target from close range on both occasions.
With his players tiring against the visibly fitter Defence Force, Eve turned to substitute Kaydion Gabriel for Lewis in the 67th minute to give his team a lift, but it was the "Teteron Boys" who went ahead in the 85th minute when Elcock header home another effort past John, with what looked to be the match winner.
But with the seconds ticking away in the third and final minute of time added one, Navarro had the vociferous Stars supporters jumping in the covered stands when he drew his team level to break the hearts of the soldiers and send the match into penalty-kicks where his goalkeeper John, came up trumps, fist diving to his left to deny Elcock's second spot kick and then full stretch to his right to keep out an Aklie Edwards, attempt. Belgrave scored his team's first attempt and
Joseph the third while for Stars, the experienced former national trio of striker Cornell Glen, late substitute Gary Glasgow and Kerry Baptiste all scored along with Jayson Joseph, who had replaced Wolfe.
It was a second Toyota Classic for John, having won the title with San Juan Jabloteh in 2008 while it was the first for Stars, which was defeated on penalty-kicks by the now defunct Ma Pau in the 2010 final, in which Eve was an assistant to winning coach Michael Mc Comie.
The winner also took home $50,000 while $20,000 went to the runners-up.
Friday's Final
N/East Stars 2 (Glenton Wolfe 17th, Keryn Navarro 90th) vs Defence Force 2 (Rodell Elcock 58th, 85th) - Stars won 4-2 on
penalty-kicks.
