Defence Force inflict 4-1 trouncing on Connection

Moore, who joined Marvin Gordon’s side in the pre-season, opened the scoring and completed the rout while teammates Dylon King – another summer signing – and Kellon Serrette each had a goal against Connection for only the Army/Coast Guard combination’s second win from seven outings to move two spots up into sixth.

Connection’s Couva rivals and three-time defending Pro League champions, Central FC, in the second game, were held to a late 1-1 draw by Club Sando and remain winless in three consecutive games ahead their roundof- 16 first-leg clash against Panama’s Deportivo Árabe Unido from 8 pm at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on Thursday in the Scotiabank CONCACAF League, which also involves San Juan Jabloteh.

Kaydion Gabriel fired Central ahead in the 66th minute when he pounced on a rebound after goalkeeper Kelvin Henry kept out the initial shot by Jason Marcano, only to see the ball off the upright and into the path of the Sharks’ left-back.

Sando coach Angus Eve reacted with a double-change, replacing Keyon Edwards, who skied an attempt overbar in the first half and saw his second-half attempt cleared at the goal mouth, and Tyrone Charles with Jared London and Adan Noel respectively.

It proved a masterstroke when Noel’s cross in the final minute of regulation time was driven into the back of the Central net by Akim Armstrong to stretch Sando’s undefeated run to five games. Sando improved their third position to 11 points, one more than Jabloteh, who have a game in hand, and two less than second-placed Connection (13 points).

North East Stars (16 points) who took the lead for the first time this season on Friday night with a 3-2 win over Police, stretched their unbeaten run to six games from as many this season.

Connection, in an attempt to regain the top spot were without regular defenders Triston Hodge, Maurice Ford and Alvin Jones, who were part of Trinidad and Tobago’s 3-1 international friendly loss to Ecuador in Guayaquil last Wednesday, while first choice goalkeeper Julani Archibald was rested.

Grenada international Jason Belfon made his Connection debut in goal and it was a baptism of fire for the ex-Sando ‘keeper.

Moore, a former North East Stars winger, put Defence Force ahead on 27 minutes.

The lanky attacker turn his marker brilliantly on a Jerwyn Balthazar pass before entering the area and firing past Belfon with confidence.

King made it 2-0 in the 64th minute with a brilliant solo goal—his first for Army – as Connection’s troubles tripled.

Connection hardman Briel Thomas had brought down substitute Hashim Arcia inside the Defence Force half, but King, a former Morvant Caledonia and Rangers attacker, continued the play with a gallop from his own half down the left and into the Savonetta Boys’ box before curling a low strike past Belfon and into the far corner.

Thomas, the 22-year-old Dominica international, who earlier received a yellow card for dragging down Arcia outside the box, wasn’t spared by referee Rashby Mc Phie, who returned to the point of the second foul and gave the Connection midfielder his marching orders.

Serrette then put the match further out of Connection’s reach with a 3-0 lead in the 76th minute, redeeming himself with a neat chip over Belfon from above the area following a miss at the goal mouth two minutes earlier.

King and Moore then combined two minutes from time with the latter picked out free in the left of the area and rounded a hapless Belfon before hitting into an open net.

Connection forward Marcus Joseph, however, improved his personal tally to four goals with his new club after seven outings with a consolation item in stoppage- time and joins teammate Neil Benjamin at the top of this season’s scorers’ list.