Jabloteh hard to beat in opener

CL FINANCIAL San Juan Jabloteh will kick off their defence of the TT Pro League crown today when they face FA Trophy holders Joe Public at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya.

Five matches are on the cards today — the opening weekend of the 2003 season. The teams’ Under-15 and U-17 squads, with the exception of Tobago United, played their first round encounters yesterday while their U-20 and senior units will take to the field today. With defender Brent Sancho and striker Gary Glasgow resuming their professional careers in the American A-League and Ricky Hill replacing fellow Englishman Terry Fenwick as head coach, Jabloteh will still be the team to beat. They have an array of national players including captain and goalkeeper Kelvin Jack, Ian Gray, Cyd Gray, Nigel Daniel, Ansil Elcock, Trent Noel, Kerry Baptiste, Otis Seaton, Travis Mulraine, Devon Mitchell, Kerry Noray and Errol McFarlane.

On the other side of the coin, the “Eastern Lions” will have 2002 MVP Andre Toussaint, fellow striker Nigel “Croc” Pierre, Densil Theobald, Hollis Brown, Derek King, Donovan Thomas and Michael McComie, returning to action, retiring after the 2001 season, as their senior heads. But there are a lot of national youth players in the team, coached by Ron La Forest, including Nkosi Blackman, fully recovered from head injuries sustained in a fatal vehicular accident last year, Kevin Graham, Ochieng Abosi, Julius James, Sterling O’Brien, Terrence McAllister and Odelle Armstrong. Another keenly anticipated clash will be the Defence Force-W Connection match at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva.

Defence Force will also field a number of new faces, with the departure of national striker Jason Scotland, David George and Curte Fermin while Connection will welcome ex-TT and J/Public playmaker Kerwyn “Hardest” Jemmott and George Isaac from St Kitts into their ranks. But the Southern-based Connection parted ways with the Brazilian trio of Danillo DeSilva, Jose Maria Manoel and Luciano Sato, in addition to St Lucia’s Alvin Xavier, Jonathan McVane and Francis Lastic during the off-season. Former national defender Shurland David as well as ex-North East Stars duo of Nigel Hart and Howard Lowe will make their debuts for “Stallions” Caledonia AIA when they travel to the Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar, Arima to face Arima Fire, whose lone addition is former Joe Public midfielder Adrian Narine.

South Starworld Strikers will be looking for full points against North East Stars at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella. Starworld Strikers was revamped during the off-season, with legendary player Everard “Gally” Cummings appointed as technical advisor while Dale Saunders (J/Public) and Marc Borde (W Connection) joined the team, who struggled to find their footing in their inaugural stint last year. Sean Julien, who was the Pro League’s top goalscorer in 2002 with 24 items, will team up with ex-St Benedict’s College standout Kester Cornwall in attack while Julien’s brother Sherwin (another former TT defender) will be making a comeback after a five-year absence.

Guyanese defender Charles Pollard and Vincentian striker Kendall Velox will line up for the Sangre-Grande based Stars, who finished bottom of the table in their debut season last year. And Tobago United, with former J/Public defender Kevin Adams included in a relatively young team under coach Peter Granville, will host fellow newcomers South West Institute of Football (SWIF) at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet. SWIF, with Edgar Vidale as technical advisor and former Strike Squad defender Brian Williams as coach, will pin their hopes on Fermin, ex-Connection and TT U-23 midfielder Kevon Clement and 1999 Secondary Schools Football League MVP Jace Peters. All senior team matches in Trinidad will begin at 4 pm with the Tobago-SWIF clash at 6 pm.