Central FC, Ma Pau Stars in Pro League stalemate

Central entered the game on a fourgame league winning streak after wins over W Connection, Club Sando, Defence Force and Morvant Caledonia United, but failed to continue their hot streak against Ma Pau Stars – a team coached by their former tactician Ross Russell.

The goalless result slowed the leaders, Central (13 points), while Couva rivals W Connection continued their upward thrust with a 2-0 win over Defence Force in the earlier game at the Point Fortin venue.

Andre Toussaint, one of three Point Fortin-born players used by Connection at Mahaica Oval on Friday night, fired the Savonetta Boys in front on 31 minutes following a quickly taken set-piece, before Suriname international forward Dimitrie Apai made it 2-0 in the 79th minute after rounding goalkeeper Andre Marchan to complete a counter-attack with his second goal of the season.

Marvin Gordon, coach of the ninth-positioned Defence Force (three points), now with three losses in a row, said afterwards that the score-line doesn’t reflect the performance of his side who were denied by the upright and had another attempt cleared off the line.

Connection (10 points) leapfrogged San Juan Jabloteh (nine points) — who play Police FC on Tuesday — for second spot while Ma Pau Stars continue to occupy fifth position but tied on seven points with fourth-placed St Ann’s Rangers who play Civic today when action returns to the Mahaica Oval.

Ace forward and hometown hero Marcus Joseph had a great chance to put Central ahead of the Stars in stoppage-time of the first half after Kevon Villaroel was upended in the area by Neil Mitchell. “You know where he is going,” shouted Russell to his goalkeeper Glenroy Samuel as Joseph - who has three goals from four previous league games this season including a penalty item — prepared himself above the penalty spot.

“Well done son,” soon followed off the tongue of Russell, a two-time league winning coach with Defence Force who had a five-month stint with Central at the start of the 2015-2016 season, and knows a lot about goalkeeping being a former ‘keeper himself. Samuel had picked right. The Stars’ goalie had dived low to his right to thwart his former Trinidad and Tobago 2007 and 2009 FIFA Youth World Cup team-mate’s left-footed strike from the spot.

(ttproleague.com)