Central FC thump Point Fortin Civic

Central’s bitter Couva rivals and last season’s runners-up only by a point, W Connection, in the second game of the night’s double- header, defeated Club Sando 3-1 for their third straight win from as many games this term and are the only team perfect at the top of the standings.

Neil Benjamin Jr. ended the rain-soaked night with a second- half double and an assist after setting up Suriname international forward Dimitri Apai’s opening item for the Savonetta Boys, while Keyon Edwards grabbed the lone Sando item.

In the earlier game, however, it was one-way traffic as Central ran away with the biggest win of the season to date.

Sean De Silva opened the scoring and set up Taryk Sampson’s first Couva Sharks goal on a night that Johan Peltier and 2006 World Cup defender Carlos Edwards also put their names on the scoresheet before Jason Marcano completed the rout from the penalty spot.

Civic coach Reynold Carrington had stuck with Akini Adams between the sticks while Trinidad and Tobago international goalkeeper Marvin Phillip, who recently returned from representing the Soca Warriors at FIFA World Cup 2018 Qualifiers, warmed the substitutes’ bench.

It turned out a very cold night for Adams, whose onion bag was stretched five times by the serial champions after earlier rainfall forced a late start to the match, due to waterlogged corners of the pitch.

The intervention of Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TT FA) president David John-Williams led to the successful pumping out of the water and the eventual start to the night’s double-header.

Central proved the warmer of the two sides and could have taken a two-goal cushion within the first five minutes with both chances falling to De Silva.

The Couva Sharks’ skipper, however, redeemed himself on the half-hour mark with a cool finish past Adams to find the far bottom corner after slipping free inside the right of the Civic area.

Civic, boasting a couple new talents in offence and the return of central defender Andre Ettienne as captain, were carved open at a back five minutes later and Peltier made light work of his marker before firing past Adams from the edge of the area for a 2-0 Central lead.

Civic were fortunate not to concede another three minutes before the break when a De Silva free-kick rattled the upright.

But it was from a left side De Silva corner on the hour mark that Sampson headed past Adams at first post put Central on a commanding 3-0 lead.

Carlos Edwards made it 4-0 less than ten minutes later when he slid in the area to bury a Peltier cross past Adams, before Marcano completed the five-nil rout by converting from the spot in the 77th minute after former TT youth player Stephan Campbell was adjudged to have brought down goal-scorer Peltier in the area