An inspired Jomal Williams scored a goal and assisted on another as DirecTV W Connection thumped Defence Force 4-0 in a lopsided Toyota Classic final at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo on Sunday night.
After a scrappy opening 15 minutes, the game began to open up with Defence Force striker Devorn Jorsling failing to connect cleanly with a volley off his less fancied right foot inside the 18-yard box from a pin-point Curtis Gonzales cross.
A minute later W Connection, winners of the tournament on three previous occasions was first to get a shot on target, through captain Alvin Jones, with a stinging right footed free-kick from almost 35-yards which goalkeeper Sheldon Clarke did well to keep out low to his right.
Jones then had a hand in putting his team ahead as his intended pass to Andre Toussaint found its way to an unmarked Williams, who was voted the eventual "Most Valuable Player" of the final as he curled in a right-footer from the top left corner of the 18-yard box past a full stretched Clarke for a 1-0 lead in the 21st minute.
Jelani Felix then had a chance to get Defence Force back on level terms in the 32nd, but his effort was kept out by an alert Julani Archibald in goal for W Connection, while from the resulting corner Defence Force's Rodell Elcock just missed the mark with a header.
However, six minutes before the break, forward Shahdon Winchester made it 2-0 with a close range finish after a clever build-up between veteran play-maker Toussaint and Briel Thomas.Against the run of play in the 41st, Jerwyn Balthazar also had an attempt on goal via a header turned away by Archibald.
Three minutes later it got worst for the "Teteron Boys" as they were reduced to ten men when Jorsling was given his marching orders by referee Crystal Sobers.
Sobers had issued Jorsling a yellow card for a foul he committed, but a furious Jorsling who was unable to restrain his feelings, then saw red for dissent leaving his coach Marvin Gordon with a lot to think about at the half-time intermission.
Six minutes into the second-half, Gordon introduced former W Connection midfielder Hashim Arcia and forward Richard Roy for defender Aklie Edwards and winger Kerry Joseph respectively.But it was the rampant W Connection powered by Shahdon Winchester and Williams in midfielder which continued to dominate against an out-of-sync Defence Force line-up.
In the 66th minute, the lively Neil Benjamin Jr extended the advantage to 3-0 with another simple finish after team-mate Dwight Quintero eluded defender Gonzales and slipped in a left sided cross. Seven minutes later substitute Aikim Andrews then saw a right footer from an acute angle slammed into the base of the Clarke's left post while Benjamin fired into the side nettings W Connection threatened almost at will.
Two minutes from the end of regulation time, Andrews would get his team's deserved fourth goal when he side-footed home from Williams cross to cap off a fine display from his team.It could have been a bigger margin of victory for W Connection, but Clarke denied Williams' effort in the third minute of stoppage time.
The win for W Connection added to its previous triumphs in 2005, 2011 and 2013 and added, to their First Citizens Cup triumph in October.Speaking after the win, W Connection's Technical Director Stuart Charles-Fevrier said, "This season is already much better than last season when we only won the (Digicel) Charity Shield."
The winner of the Toyota Classic "Coach of the Tournament" award Charles-Fevrier added, "We set out our objectives to win more silverware this season and it's good that we have been able to win the first two trophies. We are quite pleased with that.
"I thought we deserved to win. We definitely showed that we were the better team on the night. Defence Force dug deep but tonight they were definitely outclassed by us.
"They are one of the quality teams in the league and can always bounce back, but tonight was definitely our night."
Charles-Fevrier said he communicated to his players that with David John-Williams now assuming his responsibility as T&T Football Association president, it meant every player and staff member now have a greater commitment to the club.
Commenting on his team's loss, Defence Force's Gordon said, "The sending off was a soft sending off but, but all in all I thought the better team on the night won the game."
Gordon said his players' attitude in the lead up to Sunday's final was brilliant and from all indications he felt his team was prepared to win the final.
"But today (Sunday) I thought defensively we were really poor, we weren't marking and tracking enough, so credit to W Connection, they play one way, which is play the ball and move, a lot of give and go, and we didn't defend properly."
In Sunday's first match at Mucurapo, St Mary's College won the Toyota Classic Challenge Trophy with a similar 4-0 bashing of North Zone rivals, Fatima College 4-0.
Daniel Conocchiari opened the scoring as early as the seventh minute for the "Saints" while Chinua Bernard doubled the lead in the 19th.
Three minutes before the half-time whistle, Tyrese Spicer made it 3-0 and two minutes later Ethan Shim completed the scoring.
