Tier 1 champions, the Defence Force, will look to secure their second consecutive title of the T&T Premier Football League Wednesday in the top-of-the-table clash that will pit them against Club Sando FC from 8pm at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, in Mucurapo.
With 46 points and three rounds of matches to go, the Defence Force will secure the title by opening up an unassailable advantage, should they win today. Coincidentally, only Club Sando, with 42 points to their credit at present, can spoil the Army Coast Guard Civilian Combination team’s party today and possibly stop their reign in local football.
To date, the Defence Force Elites have gone an astonishing 55 matches unbeaten since the start of the last season, in which they clinched the title with four rounds of matches to play and twice won the First Citizens Knock Out crowns.
Devorn Jorsling, the Defence Force coach, said yesterday his team would be ready to be crowned winners. “Obviously, we will be confident going into the game against Club Sando, but it won’t be an easy game. They are in the title race because they have been doing well, and they have experience coaching in Angus Eve. We will be trying our best to win the game. If we win the game, it will earn us the title, so we will be going out to win the game tomorrow night,” Jorsling explained.
The Defence Force succumbed to its first loss to Miscellaneous Police 1-0 on Sunday at the Larry Gomes Stadium, but still, Jorsling is undaunted by that development, saying he has already decided on an approach to seal the win over the Southerners. “We will have to be good on the ball, in terms of trying to bring them down. We will also have to try to control the transition moments, as they are a good team in transition.”
“As I say, it will be a difficult task, but we will be going and trying to impose our style of play to come out victorious in the game.”
Quizzed about his 1-0 loss to the Lawmen, Jorsling said, ‘While it was an own goal, the Lawmen deserved to be the team to beat them.’ “To be honest, all good things come to an end. At the end of the day, your number one priority is to win the league. In saying that, I think the game on Sunday was an even game. Police won, but it was our own goal.”
“For me, being honest, in the last two years, I think, although Police is our great rival, if one team deserves to end our record, it would have been Police. Last season, we won the game, but I think they really deserve something from the game, even this season. As I said, that is football; that is part and parcel. It is up to the players and myself and the coaching staff to start a new run now. That is what we see,” Jorsling concluded.
A victory for the southerners will push them to 45 points, a point behind the leaders, with matches against Caledonia AIA at the Ato Boldon Stadium on March 21 and FC Eagles on March 27 to complete the season. Should the Army Coast Guard Civilian Combination team lose today, they will have matches against FC Eagles on March 20 at the La Horquetta Recreation Ground in Phase II, La Horquetta, Arima, and AC Port-of-Spain on March 27 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium to redeem themselves.
Meanwhile, third-place Police will have three matches that could take them to 48 points. They will first play Central FC on March 22, FC Phoenix in a rescheduled fixture on March 25, and San Juan Jabloteh on March 27.
Apart from the Defence Force/Club Sando clash today, there will also be a mouth-watering contest between Prison Services FC and Jabloteh that would jumpstart the proceedings at the stadium this evening from 6pm. And at the La Horquetta Recreation Ground, the home team, Terminex La Horquetta Rangers, will take on Central FC from 6pm, with the late game at 8pm featuring Caledonia AIA and AC Port-of-Spain.
And in a lone contest at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella, Point Fortin Civic and FC Eagles will take the field at 4pm.
