Connection, Jabloteh in FCB final

AS WAS the case in 2003, W Connection and CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh will meet on  September 30 for the First Citizens Bank (FCB) Cup football championship. Connection were the title-holders in 2001 and 2004 while Jabloteh lifted the crown in 2000 (the inaugural year) and 2003. And judging from their displays in Friday’s semi-final double-header at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella, every single member of the estimated 2,000 supporters, including national coach Leo Beenhakker and his assistants Theo De Jong and Whim Rhisbergen, will have predicted the finalists. United Petrotrin fought valiantly against Jabloteh in the first encounter, but were eliminated by a 2-0 result while Defence Force surrendered from the first whistle, and were spanked 4-0.

It took Jabloteh 43 minutes to break the deadlock against their youthful but over-matched opponents, as Petrotrin’s Dwayne Ellis was dispossessed by his opposite midfielder Trent Noel who, in the process, found Aurtis Whitley lurking on the left. The national midfielder, with time and space, calmly lobbed the ball beyond the reach of Petrotrin’s goalkeeper Perry Martin. Another defensive lapse sealed Petrotrin’s fate, with a miskick from defender Al Sinclair, in his penalty box, intercepted by Whitley who sent Kerry Baptiste clear down the middle. With only Martin to beat, Baptiste slipped the ball into the back of the net. Substitutes Kennedy Hinkson and Andre Charles combined for Petrotin’s best chance; in the 77th minute, Hinkson’s right-side cross was headed by Jabloteh’s fullback Ian Gray straight to Charles, whose right-footer cannoned off the crossbar.

Another substitute pair had similar fortunes, Jabloteh’s forward Nigel Codrington got past Brendon Christopher on the left and squared to Nicholas Addlery, who saw his shot go off-target, via the uprights. From the outset of the Connection-Defence Force match, the pattern of the match was clear as the “Teteron lads” simply allowed the “Savonetta Boys” to dictate terms, and they duly obliged. Defender Addison Belfon attempted to dribble past another veteran Earl Jean, in dangerous territory in the sixth minute. Jean got the better of the exchange and fed Andre Toussaint who powered his left-footer into the far right corner of the net. And Belfon raised the ire of coach Kerry Jamerson 13 minutes later, after his shocking back-pass to Christon Baptiste was collected by Gefferson Goulart, the Brazilian-born midfielder sent a through ball to Toussaint who blew past defender Kelshall Alexander and placed his left-footer home.

With ex-nationals Jose Luiz Seabra and recent signee Travis Mulraine controlling the middle, the attacking quartet of Jean, Toussaint, Goulart and Ronaldo Viana had a field day against their timid opponents, but the Connection fans had to wait until the hour-mark for the third goal. On the left, Seabra crossed to Jean whose dummy (he allowed the ball to go through his legs) was controlled by Goulart and, going past a defender inside the penalty box, curled his left-footer past the dive of keeper Cleon John. Even with the introductions of Romauld Aguillera, Nigerian recruit Iyiaka Stanley and Andrei Pacheco (for Mulraine, Jean and Seabra respectively), Connection’s attacks had the fans in awe and it was no surprise when, in the 85th, left-back William Da Silva Oliviera crossed to Toussaint, whose lay off was thundered home by Viana 20 metres out. Defence Force’s mood was summed up by Anton Joseph, who was given marching orders seconds before the end, by referee Neal Brizan, for a brutal sliding tackle on Goulart.