Hail, Simeon Road FC, the champions of the inaugural David Nakhid Academy (DNA) East-West Corridor Football League (EWCFL).
Their crowning moment came on Sunday night before an appreciative crowd at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo, Port of Spain. Among the spectators was Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who witnessed both the third-place playoff between Legacy FC and Trincity Nationals and the title match, in which Simeon Road FC battled to a 3-0 victory over the Wolfpack Icons.
The Diego Martin-based Simeon Road team prevailed in a tense battle that featured several former and present national players who returned to represent their respective communities. Wolfpack, though, might have had the early say when Brent Sam trotted through on a ball threaded to him on the right side of the Simeon Road defence, only for his centre to land well ahead of the onrushing Emmanuel Thomas in front of goal.
Then, in the 14th minute, Sam was the target of a free kick delivered from on top of the Simeon Road goal area; however, his diving header was miraculously pushed wide by a diving Aaron Andrews. Despite the bright start, the Petit Valley men, favoured to come away with the title after their 4-0 thrashing of Trincity Nationals in the semifinals, injected life into their attack with the combination of Keron Cummings and Jean-Hein McFee.
The two disrupted Wolfpack's defensive structure in the 17th minute when McFee, the scorer of a brace in the round of four, was unable to control a ball pulled back to him by Cummings from the right side. Six minutes later, Shaquille Neaves used his pace on the right side to race to the byline, but his shot from an acute angle flashed past the Wolfpack goal.
The fluctuating affair continued with Josiah Edwards, who taunted the Simeon Road defence all night, getting probably the best chance of the game at that point in the 28th minute. This time, the nippy Edwards forged ahead of his marker as he chased a threaded pass inside the goal area, but his unfavoured right foot saw him hit the ball into the safe grasp of Andrews.
The opener later came from McFee. The lethal striker displayed amazing accuracy with a right-side cross that took one bounce before McFee plucked it out midair with a volley that flashed past goalkeeper Levi Hernandes for the 1-0 advantage in the 38th minute.
Wolfpack, a 1-0 winner over Legacy FC in the semifinals, proved to be nowhere short of talent, only that they failed to convert from the final pass in the attacking third. And for this, they were punished a second time when the game resumed from the halftime interval. Shane Davidson, against the run of play, put the ball past Fernandes for a two-goal cushion in the 48th minute and placed one hand on the title.
Still, the Wolfpack men refused to throw in the towel; only their efforts at goal proved more helpful to their counterparts. And it showed in the 56th minute when Shackiel Henry stormed down the right flank to pull back for the unmarked Edwards, who, despite an open goal staring him in the face, hesitated at offering a shot until he was eventually closed down.
It summed up the night for the Wolfpack men, who self-destructed in the 72nd minute when Jamali Garcia’s back pass seeped through the grasp of Fernandes to hand Simeon Road the 3-0 lead and eventual victory. Persad-Bissessar later handed the Diego Martin men the trophy and a replica cheque for $120,000, while Wolfpack settled for the runner-up prize of $75,000.
McFee was voted the "Man of the Match".
Earlier in the night, Legacy FC secured the third-place prize of $50,000 by defeating Trincity Nationals by a 2-1 margin in the third and fourth-place play-off. Kelon Williams handed Legacy the lead from the penalty spot as early as the 6th minute. Malachi Celestine got the equaliser in the 14th minute. However, Ricardo Williams and Stevon Thomas put the game out of reach courtesy of items in the 16th and 76th minutes, respectively.
Nakhid said an All-Star team is being selected to travel to Spain to play three matches in September.
The League will now shift its focus to the Zonal Classic to begin in July and will run for two months. It will be held similarly to the North-South Classic of the glory days of the sport but will instead feature five teams, including the All-Star team that will travel to Spain.
Also in attendance were the minister of education, Dr Michael Dowlat; ministers in the ministry of housing, Phillip Alexander and Anil Roberts; other dignitaries of the government; and Senator David Nakhid, who said that their Persad-Bissessar’s partnership and support for the events are already reaping the rewards through community unity and overall nation building.
