Former European-based national defenders, Radanfah Abu Bakr, and Robert Primus combined to lead AC Port-of-Spain to a comfortable 5-0 spanking of T&T Prisons Service in the first match of a T&T Premier Football League double-header at the St James Police Barracks Ground, Long Circular Road, St James, on Sunday.
Primus, who represented T&T at both the Fifa Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups, opened the scoring inside the first minute when he reacted first to a loose ball in the penalty area after Prisons FC defenders failed to clear a Che Benny corner, and hammered the loose ball into the net.
Abu Bakr then doubled the lead when he was on the spot to turn in another cross by Benny in the 21st minute, before he got his second of the afternoon a free downward header, four minutes before the half-time whistle.
Despite dominating the second half, AC Port-of-Spain had to wait until late to add to their tally with national midfielder Jomoul Francois extending the lead to 4-0 in the second minute of time added while Brian Armstrong also netted two minutes later to cap off a stellar display for the Walt Noreiga-coached AC Port-of-Spain who moved to nine points from four matches, one behind Central FC who stayed top after a 3-2 win over a determined San Juan Jabloteh at the Phase II Recreation Ground at La Horquetta on Saturday led by a brace from Keron ‘Ball Pest’ Cummings.
Speaking after the match, a delighted Noreiga said it was a very pleasing result and he was also happy with how things worked out for his team on their set play pieces.
Noreiga added, “This is the kind of consistency I want to see as we need to continue to play between the lines and do the right things as we go along.”
In the second match at La Horquetta on Saturday night, Tiger Tanks Club Sando scored two late goals to snatch an unlikely share of the points with Terminix La Horquetta Rangers in an entertaining 4-4 draw.
Rangers went ahead as early as the sixth minute through a well-taken free-kick from captain Tyrone Charles, and 16 minutes later Ataualla Guerra made it 2-0 before Kareem Riley blasted home a free-kick of his own from distance to pull a goal back for Club Sando to trail 2-1 at the interval.
On the resumption, Club Sando took the attack to Rangers, and deservedly drew level at 2-2 when Dillon completed his double from the penalty spot in the 62nd minute, but his joy was short-lived as Charles fired in his second of the match on the near post to restore his team’s lead at 3-2 followed by a header from Isaiah Lee in 78th to extend the margin to 4-2 and what seemed a sure three points.
However, Club Sando was not about to give up and made things interesting when Jabari Forbes rifled home into the top corner to close the margin to 4-3 before Dillon slammed home his second penalty f the contest in the fourth minute of time added-on to snatch the share of the points for the visitors.
In the late match on Sunday, the battle of the ‘Protective Services’, T&T Police FC entertained T&T Defence Force at St James.
Yesterday’s results
Today matches
AC Port-of-Spain 5 (Radanfah Abu Bakr 21st, 41st, Robert Primus 1st, Jomoul Francois 90+2, Brian Armstrong 90+4) vs T&T Prisons Service FC 0
Saturday
Central FC 3 (Keron Cummings 2nd pen, 81st, Kesean St Rose 51st) vs San Juan Jabloteh 2 (Dantaye Gilbert 12th, Trevis Byron 36th)
W Connection 0 vs Morvant Caledonia AIA 0
Cunupia FC 2 (Romario Williams, Rhondel Gibson) vs Point Fortin Civic 1 (Nathaniel Garcia)
La Horquetta Rangers 4 (Tyrone Charles 6th, 63rd, Ataulla Guerra 22nd, Isaiah Lee 78th) vs Club Sando 4 (Nicholas Dillon 62nd pen, 90+4 pen, Kareem Riley 27th, Jabari Forbes 88th)
Latest standing
Teams P W D L F A Pts
1. Central FC 4 3 1 0 9 5 10
2. AC PoS 4 3 0 1 10 1 9
3. Club Sando FC 4 2 2 0 7 5 8
4. Cunupia FC 4 2 0 2 4 6 6
5. Morvant Caledonia AIA 4 1 2 1 4 3 5
6. La Horquetta Rangers 2 1 1 0 6 5 4
7. Pt Fortin Civic 4 1 1 2 5 5 4
8. W Connection 4 1 1 2 3 5 4
9. T&T Prisons FC 4 1 1 2 2 8 4
10. Defence Force 2 1 0 1 2 4 3
11. San Juan Jabloteh 4 0 1 3 2 6 1
12. T&T Police FC 2 0 0 2 1 4 0
