Jabloteh go back on top

And in their fold was midfielder Aurtis Whitley who was playing in his first match for Jabloteh since returning with the national team from the World Cup Finals in Germany.

Whitley played a big role in helping the San Juan Boys take back control at the top of the table.

Jabloteh entered the match in second place behind their opponents and from the first whistle Terry Fenwick’s men looked goal hungry.

They opened the scoring as early as the ninth minute, when Jason Marcano with his hand still in a cast, ran behind the North East defence and rose above everyone to head home a right-sided cross to give Jabloteh the lead.

They continued to press on and in the 12th minute scored a beautifully worked goal moving the ball from defence into attack.

Jason Marcano turned provider making a run down the flank and squared the ball back deep, where an unmarked Wendell Joseph collected and with clinical precision tapped it home.

North East Stars kept fighting, but it got worse for the ‘Grande team in the 19th minute when skipper Charles Pollard failed to control a back pass, directing the ball pass his goalkeeper to score an own goal and handing Jabloteh a 3-0 cushion within the first 20 minutes of the match.

But in time added on at the end of the first half-the North East Bench had something to shout about, as Marvin Oliver stepped up to take a direct free kick from 25 yards out.

The 28-year-old local midfielder struck it Beckham-like style curling it around the wall and past the outstretched hand of Durance Williams in the Jabloteh goal.

The mountain was too much for them to climb though and on the resumption of the second half, in the 54th minute, Jabloteh’s World Cup duo of Whitley and Anthony Wolfe combined to score the fourth for their team.

North East pulled one more goal back in the 62nd with a strike from Akeno Morgan but it was too little too late.

Jabloteh recorded their sixth consecutive victory and in the process got sweet revenge over North East for the 1-0 defeat they suffered when the teams met earlier in the season.

In the first match of the double-header in Malabar, Neal and Massy Caledonia AIA Fire also came away with an impressive 4-2 win over Superstar Rangers.

The match went back and forth-but Kareem Joseph’s double (23rd and 55th) made sure for the “Men from Morvant.”

It was 2-2 at the half with Rangers getting goals from Fabien Gomez in the 40th and Lorne Joseph in the 45th.

But Caledonia striker Kendall Jagdeosingh sprung to life in the second half and scored a beauty in the 50th minute to shut down any chance of a Rangers fightback. At the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva in the feature match of another thrilling double-header-the defending champions W Connection lost some further ground in the race to reclaim their League title.

The Savonetta Boys went down 3-2 to Joe Public-their second loss this season to the Eastern Lions.

All the action took place in the first half, with Public taking an early lead in the sixth minute through Wolry Wolfe but Connection struck back like true champions with items from Atiba Charles and Andrei Pacheco in the 22nd and 28th minutes respectively.

But it was not to be for Stuart-Charles Fervier and his men, as the Lions came roaring back with goals from Sean Power and Gary Glasgow in the 33rd and 40th minutes.

Connection were unable to break down Joe Public in the second half, as they went in desperate search for an equaliser.

In the earlier match Starworld Strikers showed their dominance over Tobago United as they came away 4-1 winners with Randolph Jerome, Nigel Hart, Marc Borde and Darren Matthews all getting on the score sheet for Strikers.

Tobago’s lone item came three minutes from time with a strike from Noel Williams.

At the Palo Seco Recreation Ground, Odelle Armstrong salvaged a 1-1 draw for the hapless Defence Force against United Petrotrin.

The Oilmen took a 30th minute lead thanks to a Brent Garcia goal but in the 89th minute Armstrong levelled the scores.