Jabloteh look to widen gap

WITH 13 players absent from club duty due to participation in the Trinidad and Tobago team on tour of Africa, teams will have to use a number of their reserves for today’s fifth round of the T&T Pro League.

Defending champions CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh and W Connection, both jostling for position atop the 10-team table with 10 points apiece, will be looking for vital wins against “the Stallions,” Caledonia AIA and “the Eastern Lions,” Joe Public respectively. Jabloteh have won their last three matches — against South Starworld Strikers, Defence Force and North East Stars —- and will only miss defender Nigel Daniel and midfielder Travis Mulraine for today’s fixture against the cellar-placed Caledonia at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya. Caledonia, with midfielder Conrad Smith and coach Jamaal Shabazz part of the national contingent in Kenya, will be hard-pressed to stop the in-form Jabloteh, featuring recent TT players Kelvin Jack, Ian Gray, Cyd Gray, Ansil Elcock, Trent Noel, Kerry Baptiste, Kerry Noray, Cornell Glen and Devon Mitchell.

Joe Public, despite the unavailability of in-form striker Nigel “Croc” Pierre, defenders Derek King and Keyeno Thomas as well as manager Joseph “Sam” Phillip, will travel to the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva to face Connection. Connection is the club which is hardest hit by the temporary loss of national players, including skipper Reynold Carrington, reserve goalkeeper Michael Jan-Williams, midfielders Kerwyn “Hardest” Jemmott and Silvio Spann. Starworld Strikers, with veteran midfielder Dale Saunders in Kenya, with the TT team will be seeking to close the gap between themselves and the top two (Jabloteh and Connection) when they host Tobago United at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium, while Arima United, minus keeper Peter Ramon-Fortune, will square off against South West Institute of Football (SWIF) at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar, Arima. And the day’s final match will see Defence Force, without the services of their inspirational captain Anton Pierre, battling against North East Stars at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo. All senior matches begin at 4 pm while the Under-20 encounters (with Connection and Jabloteh both leading with 10 points) will kick off two hours earlier.

STANDINGS