‘Latas’ scores one for Falkirk

LONDON: Four footballers with Caribbean connections playing in Britain found the nets in helping their teams to write success stories yesterday. Grenada’s Jason Roberts, Jamaicans Deon Burton and Jermaine Johnson, as well as Trinidad and Tobago’s Russell Latapy were all on target. Roberts helped Wigan to a 1-1 draw with Sunderland in the English League Championship. Wigan created chance after chance in the first half, but had to settle for a slender advantage at halftime after Roberts side-footed a pass inside the box from fellow striker Nathan Ellington to score his third goal of the season from close range in the 18th minute.

Substitute Stephen Elliott, however, levelled for the home team when he fired a late equaliser for Sunderland, booting home a right-footed bullet into the bottom corner from 18 yards. In English League 1, former Jamaica Reggae Boyz Burton scored as Brentford cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win over Stockport County. On half-hour, Burton won a challenge on the edge of penalty box and rammed the ball home to complete a first-half demolition job of Stockport. Michael Dobson had scored in the fourth minute to start the rout and John Salako netted in the 16th minute. Jamaican international Jermaine Johnson kicked off Oldham Athletic’s 3-0 win over Milton Keynes Dons with one of his team’s two first-half goals. Johnson calmly picked his spot to fire into the top right-hand corner in 39th minute to give Oldham the lead.

Christopher Killen in the 43rd minute and Mark Arber in the 61st minute inflicted further damage. Over in Scotland, Latapy scored the fourth goal in a 5-0 win for Falkirk over Airdrie in the League Championship there. Latapy latched onto a cross from Davie Nicholls and went past the Airdrie keeper like he did not exist to plant the ball into the roof of the net in the 62nd minute. Andy Thompson scored the first and last goals in the ninth and 78th minutes, David Nicholls added another in the 24th and Andrew Lawrie collected his in the 54th minute on an assist from Latapy.