Subs spare TT humiliation

SUBSTITUTES Hector Sam and Angus Eve spared Trinidad and Tobago’s football team from total embarrassment against St Vincent and the Grenadines last night in their final CONCACAF World Cup Group “C” qualifier at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo. The duo scored in the 84th and 90th minutes respectively to give TT a late 2-1 victory over the gritty SVG outfit in front of a lively crowd estimated at 9,000. But TT’s win failed to camouflage a number of deficiences which were exploited by the Eastern Caribbean squad. While TT coach Bertille St Clair finally decided to remove captain Angus Eve from the starting line-up, the first eleven mystifyingly included —  reinstated skipper Marvin Andrews, Ian Cox, Avery John, Dennis Lawrence, Kenwyne Jones and Brent Sancho while Anthony Rougier, noticeably suffering from jet-lag, also made the cut, ahead of playmaker Silvio Spann.

TT got the first opportunity after three minutes —  Jerren Nixon sending fellow striker Errol McFarlane clear but the lanky Lebanese-based forward saw his shot deflect off defender Matthew Forde and the upright. With TT-based midfielder Kendall Velox creating a lot of openings, the Vincentians did as they pleased against a makeshift defence. Velox’s pass to Marlon James was held by TT’s goalkeeper Clayton Ince in the fifth, Ince was forced to parry a James 25-metre blast in the ninth while Shandel Samuel shot wide in the 22nd off a rebound effort by Matthew Charles. In the 31st, Rougier kicked straight at Vincentian goalie Melvin Andrews from inside the penalty area and five minutes later, Rougier’s freekick was met by Lawrence but his shot was muffed. Melvin Andrews was forced to deny headers by Jones (45th) and TT skipper Andrews (48th), both off set-pieces, but the Islanders deservedly took the lead in the 49th —  off a counter-attack. Samuel’s attempt was blocked by a sliding Ince with substitute Kenson Haynes tapping the loose ball home.

TT, with Rougier getting more involved in the match, fought valiantly for the equaliser —  McFarlane’s shot was blocked by an alert Andrews in the 52nd; Andrews (Marvin) headed a Rougier’s cross to the path of Lawrence in the 61st but his header was blocked by Ezra Hendrickson while Rougier’s 69th minute blast was denied by Andrews (Melvin). But the hosts levelled the scores in the 84th. After Sam (who replaced an injured McFarlane in the 63rd) was brought down by Charles, Eve’s quickly-taken freekick was met by Sam who turned and shot under the keeper’s legs. Charles received his second yellow card by Guatemalan referee Carlos Batres in the 90th for a foul on substitute Scott Sealy and, on the edge of the penalty area, Eve calmly placed his attempt to the top left-hand corner. Lawrence met a square ball from Sealy but skied his shot while John, in his first match for TT in ages, also collected two yellow cards and was expelled in the dying seconds.

TEAMS —
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO: Clayton Ince; Marvin Andrews (capt), Ian Cox, Dennis Lawrence, Avery John, Kenwyne Jones; Brent Sancho, Anthony Rougier, Brent Rahim (Angus Eve 63rd); Jerren Nixon (Scott Sealy 78th), Errol McFarlane (Hector Sam 63rd).
ST VINCENT: Melvin Andrews; Matthew Forde, Cornelius Huggins, Ezra Hendrickson (capt) (Benford Joseph 62nd), Matthew Charles; Wesley John, Kendall Velox, Jamal Ballantyne, Alwyn Guy; Marlon James (Kenson Haynes 46th), Shandel Samuel (Kenlyn Gonsalves 75th).