Team captain, Jerwyn "Bally" Balthazar netted the lone goal as Defence Force eked out a 1-0 win against a stubborn AC Port-of-Spain to move to the top of the 11-club T&T Pro League standings at the Diego Martin Sporting Complex, Bagatelle, Diego Martin on Tuesday night.
The win ensured that the "Teteron Men" stay perfect with a maximum of nine points from three matches, one ahead of previous leaders Morvant Caledonia AIA which battled to a 0-0 draw with Tiger Tanks Club Sando in the featured match of a double-header at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo in Tuesday's programme.
The "Stallions" have only themselves to blame though for not coming away with all three points after striker Aaron Richard saw a side-footed right-footer from less than six-yards out brilliantly kept out by goalkeeper Kelvin Henry in the 34th minute.
It was a quiet night for strikers at Mucurapo as San Juan Jabloteh ended the match with ten men after substitute Jaheim Faustin was red-carded, and Pt Fortin Civic also failed to trouble the score sheet in the night's opener.
At the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, defending champions W Connection picked up its first win in three matches, a 3-1 victory against Terminix La Horquetta Rangers, to climb into the fourth spot with five points.
Coming off of two drawn results in its first two matches, W Connection was for victory and within three minutes of the start, Kurt Fredericks fired the "Savonetta Boys" into the lead, before Jevaugh Humphrey doubled the advantage in the 21st minute for a 2-0 half-time cushion.
Rangers with one win from two matches needed a quick response at the start of the second half, and Keron "Ball Pest" Cummings provided that spark with his second goal of the season in the 53rd minute to trim the margin.
However, ten minutes later the in-form striker Michael Gem Gordon restored W Connection's two-goal advantage (3-1) which the team defended until the final whistle.
Earlier, Police FC under the guidance of assistant coach Garfield Ambrose in the absence of national Under-17 women's coach Richard Hood drew goalless with cellar-placed Central FC.
TUESDAY'S RESULTS
San Juan Jabloteh 0 vs Pt Fortin Civic 0
Morvant Caledonia AIA 0 vs Club Sando 0
Police FC 0 vs Central FC 0
W Connection 3 (Kurt Fredericks 3rd, Jevaughn Humphrey 21st, Michael Gem Gordon 63rd) vs Terminix La Horquetta Rangers 1 (Keron Cummings 53rd)
Defence Force 1 (Jerwyn Balthazar 70th) vs AC Port-of-Spain 0
Current T&T Pro League standings:
Teams*P*W*D*L*F*A*Pts
1. Defence Force FC*3*3*0*0*6*3*9
2. Morvant Caledonia*4*2*2*0*4*2*8
3. Police FC*4*2*1*1*5*3*7
4. W Connection*3*1*2*0*5*3*5
5. Club Sando*4*1*2*1*3*3*5
6. San Juan Jabloteh*4*1*1*2*1*2*4
7. AC Port-of-Spain*3*1*1*1*6*10*4
8. L.H Rangers*3*1*0*2*9*7*3
9. Pt Fortin Civic*2*0*2*0*1*1*2
10. Central FC *4*0*2*2*3*5*2
11. Cunupia FC*3*0*1*2*3*6*1
Top scorers
4 - Keion Wilson (Police FC)
2 - Rashad Hyacenth (AC PoS), Aaron Richards (Morvant Caledonia), Kishun Seecharan (La Horquetta Rangers), John-Paul Rochford (AC PoS), Devorn Jorsling (Defence Force), Shaqkeem Joseph (Club Sando), Michael Gem Gordon (W Connection), Keron Cummings (La Horquetta Rangers).