Jabloteh, N/East Stars win in FCB Cup

CL FINANCIAL San Juan Jabloteh and North East Stars need only a draw in their respective First Citizens Bank (FCB) Cup second-leg semi-finals on July 23.

The final of the second edition of the cup is scheduled for  July 30. In first-leg semi-final action on Wednesday evening, Jabloteh blew past Joe Public 3-0 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, while the consistent North East Stars staged a come-from-behind 2-1 win over W Connection at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella. At Mucurapo, a youthful “Eastern Lions” outfit, minus national players Nigel “Croc” Pierre and Keyeno Thomas, gave Jabloteh a scare in the 26th — midfielder Densil Theobald smashing the bar with a thunderous left-footer from inside the penalty box after a long centre from Devon Caseman. But the experienced Jabloteh earned a penalty two minutes later, when striker Cornell Glen was bundled over by defender Jason Springer. Referee Jagdesh Bhimull pointed to the spot and Otis Seaton rifled his spotkick past goalkeeper Michael McComie.

Joe Public’s lone striker Andre Toussaint found himself on a one-and-one with Jabloteh’s Kelvin Jack in the 33rd, but the 2002 Pro League MVP had his right-footer blocked by Jack. Joe Public’s attackers were guilty of over-dribbling, especially when under pressure by the experiened Jabloteh defence of Ansil Elcock and Ian Gray, while their defence always looked vulnerable to the speedy Jabloteh strike pair of Glen and Kerry Noray. McComie saw an attempted lob by Jabloteh’s right-winger Josh Johnson crash off the uprights in the 50th while Noray, taking a left side centre from Glen, hit his shot wide of the mark two minutes later. But two goals in the space of a minute by national midfielder Kerry Baptiste put the game beyond the reach of the “Lions.” Committing players forward for a Terrance McAllister corner in the 63rd, the Joe Public defence was left exposed and a string of passes from Glen, Seaton and Johnson, Baptiste was found unmarked in the box and, on his second touch, sent a low right footer past the flat-footed McComie.

McComie was also left bemused when a Baptiste header, from a Johnson’s centre, went past him in the 64th, to the delight of the Jabloteh supporters. Garvin McKenna, unmarked in the box, struck his right footer wide in the 73rd while Devin Elcock had his shot blocked by Jack in the 89th. Toussaint had a miserable evening overall, and his woes were compounded when he had two goals disallowed for offside, in the third and 90th minutes. In Marabella, national striker Kendall Davis put Connection in front with a 42nd minute goal but the Sangre Grande-based Stars replied courtesy a double from Carey Harris, in the 51st and 90th.