Top three prevail in Pro League

National striker Cornell Glen, a half-time substitute for Jerol Forbes, got the lone item as Jabloteh edged a depleted Tobago United 1-0 in the first of back-to-back matches at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo.

In the 59th minute, Glen met a pin-point left-sided cross from his captain Trent Noel, ahead of Tobago’s goalkeeper Richard Reynolds, and thundered his header into the empty net.

The Stadium’s surface was muddy and did not encourage any free-flowing football, while the Tobago outfit only fielded three substitutes, as well as numbers attached to their jerseys.

Tobago’s two only chances at goals were in the eighth — when Sean Johnson met a long ball, broke the off-side trap but saw his shot denied by goalie Cleon John; and in the 31st as Durwin Ross volleyed a cross from Collie Hercules high.

Jabloteh, who looked like they were in slow motion throughout the match, saw Forbes (35th minute) turn and shoot wide from the edge of the penalty box while, two minutes later, Reynolds blocked Attulah Guerra’s drive, with Forbes’ rebound effort blocked, in the six-yard box, by Carey Harris.

Reynolds did well to deny Cyd Gray’s header, off a left-sided cross from Noel, but the Guyanese keeper could not prevent Glen’s try seven minutes later.

W Connection stretched their winning streak to six games, and their unbeaten league run to 16, after annihilating St Ann’s Rangers 6-2 at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva.

Rangers, whose lack of quality depth has been exposed to the extent that they have lost their previous pair of matches, suffered their worst defeat of the season.

Striker Andre Toussaint warmed up for next week’s Digicel Caribbean Championships qualifiers (Group “H”) here in Trinidad, netted a pair, in the 18th and 39th, while midfielder Gerrard Williams, who will be representing St Kitts/Nevis in the four-team event (Antigua/Barbuda and Guyana are the other teams in Group “H”) notched one in the 33rd to give Connection a 3-0 half-time lead.

Midfielder Hughton Hector scored a second-half double (55th and 82nd) while Dominican Republic’s forward Jonathan Frias completed the rout with two minutes remaining.

Devon Modeste (70th) and Joseph “Gouti” Peters (81st) were on target for Rangers.

Hayden Tinto’s 85th minute strike gave third-placed Caledonia a 1-0 win over North East Stars at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Arima.

In the other game at Mucurapo, the struggling pair of Defence Force and Ma Pau battled to a goalless draw.

Ma Pau’s Sherron Joseph failed to find the target twice in the first half (second and 39th minutes), while a deflected shot from Defence Force’s Kurt Williams struck the bar in the 55th.

Williams’ unrelated namesake, Keston Williams, was ejected by referee Neal Brizan in the 69th (his second bookable offence), for elbowing Kino Proctor, seconds after he came on the field to replace Leandro Dos Santos.

Proctor shockingly missed the game’s winner in the 89th, as he was picked out by Iomar Da Silva, unmarked in the penalty box, but skied his right-footer overbar, with only goalie Kevin Graham to beat.

The meeting between sixth-placed United Petrotrin and seventh-placed Joe Public, which was originally carded for yesterday (FRIDAY), will now take place this afternoon, from four o’clock, at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Tunapuna.

STANDINGS

Pl W D L F A Pts

San Juan Jabloteh 24 17 4 3 50 20 55

W Connection 23 16 3 4 46 17 51

Caledonia AIA 24 11 5 8 40 34 38

North East Stars 23 10 2 11 27 28 32

St Ann’s Rangers 23 8 7 8 46 43 31

United Petrotrin 23 9 4 10 28 37 31

Joe Public 20 9 3 8 30 27 30

Defence Force 24 7 5 12 36 38 26

Ma Pau SC 24 6 4 14 31 56 22

Tobago United 24 3 3 18 22 56 12