St Paul'S United

The Premier League moved to the NBGC Technical Center on Friday June 21, when Azul Cayon Rockets crushed demoted Trafalgar Southstars 5-0.

The goals came from Devontay Carty in the 24^th minute, Vinceroy Nelson in the 31^st minute, Evansroy Barnes one minute before halftime, Jahmarli Connor in the 63^rd minute and Shaqkeem Butler six minutes later.

After the match, Coach Anthony Nets Isaac of Cayon said he is satisfied with the win, though he was hoping to score more goals in the event goal difference plays a role in the playoff positions.

“At training and coming to the game, we decided we had to get at least seven to eight goals. Because remember the second-place team, which is (Old Road) have been scoring goals regularly, and they are way ahead in goals. But for us to catch up, depending on how the table stand, we want to be there when it comes to goal averages...we didn't get the amount that we wanted, but we're satisfied still,” Isaac said.

Manager of Trafalgar Southstars, Akins Phillip said with his team relegated to Division 1, he is aiming for his team to earn some points before the end of the season.

“The plan for the rest of the season is to try and get some points. We can't leave without getting at least three or six points. We're going to try our best,” Phillip said.

On Saturday June 22, DBSKN St. Peters FC, edged Honda Newtown United 3-2, to maintain their spot in the Final Four playoff race.

St. Peters took the lead in the sixth minute through Devion Harvey before, eight minutes into the second half, Jabari Isaac equalized for Newtown.

Shaquille Barzey and Dionis Stephens scored in the 62^nd and 68^th minutes, respectively, to put St. peters up 3-1 before Shamar Powell gave Newtown hope of a comeback with eight minutes to go.

In Saturday’s second game, S.L Horsfords St. Paul’s United came from 2-0 down to earn a 2-2 draw with MFCR Old Road United Jets.

Goals from Tiquanny Williams in the 34^th minute and Geovanni Lake four minutes later gave Old Road a 2-0 lead going into the halftime interval.

Keithroy Freeman cut the lead in half for St. Paul’s in the 67^th minute before Petrez Williams secured a point for his side in the 90^th minute.

Captain of Old Road Jets Nequan Browne explained that the team lost concentration and managed the game poorly which led to them giving up the 2-0 lead.

“We lost concentration in the game. Time management was a problem with us. We should have managed the ball better, move it around better, instead of playing into St. Paul's hands. I just feel like the inexperience of the team, maybe took a toll on us. But we will regroup and come again,” Browne said.

Jamal Jeffers, goalkeeper for St. Paul’s spoke to his team’s resilience, which spurred them to walkway with a point from a losing position.

“A lot of fans know it and the community of St. Paul's knows that St. Paul don't go out without a fight. Many times, we have been in this position but we kept our cool. We concede two early goals but regardless, that's how football goes. We just have to keep calm, we just have to continue playing. Coach talked to us; we made some tactical changes and came out and played a way better second half and we managed to get away with a draw,” he said.

On Sunday June 23, Tropical Blossom Hotsprings Bath United made its claim for a spot in the playoffs when they defeated SKELEC Garden Hotspurs 2-1.

Spurs took the lead in the 23^rd minute though a Justin Claxton own goal before Aljay Newton equalized for Bath two minutes later.

Bath’s winning goal came from Jeremy Richards six minutes into the second half.

Richards was very satisfied with the performance of his teammates and the result of the match.

“I think we've had a desire to come and perform as a team. We have some goals to meet for the season and that has been our main focus. So, it was an important three points...and we move forward,” Richards said.

Spurs Coach George “Yellowman” Isaac said he is doing his best to motivate the players as they are facing the unprecedented situation of relegation from the premier league.

“That's a hard one, but I try my best every day to motivate these players every day in training. To work hard, to play hard, because the position we in, we’ve got to make sure we come out, but it’s just getting harder and harder,” Isaac said.

The final match of the weekend was an exciting nine goal thriller as defending champions Rams Village Superstars came from 1-0 down to win 5-4 against Conaree.

Village went up 3-1 at half time, with a brace by the league’s leading goal scorer Kimaree Rogers in the 23^rd and 36^th minutes and a goal from Dahjal Kelly in the 33^rd minute in response to a 20^th minute strike from Conaree’s Errol O’Loughlin.

Caaja Burnham made it 4-1 in the second half in the 58^th minute, but O’Loughlin led the Conaree fightback, rounding out his hat trick in the 70^th and 74^th minutes.

Samani Williams, however, extended Village’s lead in the 80th minute but Conaree, not to be outdone, scored a 4^th goal in the 7^th minute of stoppage time before the match ended 5-4.

Coach Stephen Clarke of Village said the win was a show of the heart and grit of his team, but they must do a better job defensively.

“Certain parts of how we play, especially in the first half, the chances we created, moments on the ball; it's been missing for quite a while. With that said though, giving up four goals, it was, I must say, uncalled for. We didn't see out the game,” Clarke commented.

Assistant Coach of Conaree Sven Korte, said despite the loss, he is proud of his players.

“I'm proud of my team. They've given everything. Congratulations to Rams Village Superstars. Great performance; the win is okay, because overall I think pass accuracy, speed of players, and bridging the midfield was definitely in their favor,” he said.

The NBGC Premier League is on a break this week due to the St. Kitts Music Festival, but the teams return to action in the first weekend of July at the NBGC Technical Center.

The goalscoring started off with a stunning Kendale Liburd strike from within the 18-yard box to give Old Road the lead in the 21^st minute before Tiquanny Williams sealed the win in the 85^th minute. Petrez Williams of St. Pauls was sent off in the 83rd min after receiving a red card. 

This is Old Road’s second silverware in their history after winning Division 1 title some years ago when they earned promotion to the Premier League.

Coach Alexis Morris of Old Road was a guest recently on Island Tea morning show on WINN FM, where he said this victory is a great feat of the team and the community.

“It’s another great feat. Never before has that team won any silverware of that magnitude,” Morris said.  With this victory, Old Road are now focusing on the Final Four playoffs with an aim to win the NBGC Premier League title.

Added to that, two of those teams, Conaree FC and Village Superstars are tied on six points with the same goal difference. The table makes each team’s final match of the round-robin phase very intriguing.

The drama all started on Friday night when Flow 4G Cayon Rockets defeated Newtown United 2-1. Devaunty Carty opened the scoring for Cayon in the 20^th minute before a K’andre Wattley own goal 16 minutes later tied proceedings. Cayon’s winning goal came in the 90^th minute through Kejorn Wattley.

Coach Al Edwards of Cayon, while happy with the win, rued his team’s missed chances.

“The last time we spoke, I said all we have been practicing is finishing and for the last three days that's all we have been doing; finishing, finishing, finishing," Edwards said. We were looking for a big win to boost our chances at even a third place or to squeeze in the final (two) but it didn't come tonight," he said.

Newtown Coach Anthony “Nets” Isaac felt a substitution of his goalkeeper in the latter stages of the match, with an outfield player, due to an injury to his goalkeeper and the unavailability of his starting custodian, changed the outcome of the match.

“It changed a lot for us.... we had to put in one of our better defenders in the goal just to replace the goalkeeper," lamented Isaac, who said his goalkeeper had his shoulder dislocated. His first-choice goalkeeper was unable to play due to an accident before the match.

Saturday saw one of the best matches of the playoffs so far between MFCR Old Road United Jets and SOL IAS Conaree FC.

Old Road took a very early lead in the 3^rd minute through Loudajour Lewis before Conaree equalized seven minutes later through a Javern Matthew penalty. Wazim Hough gave Conaree the lead in the 26^th minute before Old Road squared things up through Tiquanny Williams in the 37^th minute. An Errol O’Loughlin strike two minutes before the half meant Conaree went in with a 3-2 advantage.

That lead lasted all the way to the 90^th minute before Williams converted a penalty to tie the game at 3-3.

The game ended on a sour note, however, as four players were given straight red cards after the match ended prematurely due to a fight.

The red carded players were Iquon Frazer (Old Road), Tiquanny Williams (Old Road), Kadeen Lewis (Conaree) and Wazim Howe (Conaree).

Coach Al Richards of Conaree was hoping for a win but relished the point from the draw.

“I thought we should have won it…We gave up a penalty, which was a soft penalty. But nevertheless, the team held out for the draw,” Richards said.

In relation to the incident, the SKNFA issued a statement: “The SKNFA deeply regrets the unfortunate incident that occurred following an exceptionally competitive match—one of the season's finest. Such behavior has no place in the game we love and respect. Consequently, our disciplinary committee will convene to take decisive action, in line with our established bylaws.”

Action continued on Sunday when SL Horsfords St. Paul’s United and Rams Village Superstars played out a 1-1 draw.

After a goalless first half, Niquan Phipps gave St. Paul’s the lead in the 67^th minute before Tahir Hanley got the equalize for Village in the 94^th minute.

That match was marred by a serious injury to Diquan Johnson of St. Paul’s, who was taken by ambulance to the JNF Hospital. The incident led to a 23-minute delay. That delay affected how both teams approached the conclusion of the match, as explained by Coach Stephen Clarke of Village and Manager of St. Paul’s Derionne Edmeade. Clarke said he had to withdraw Hasani Flemming, the player who tackled Johnson when he sustained the injury.

“I had to take him out because he was very, very distraught. But besides that, we still had a game to finish,” he said. Edmeade said the injury impacted how his players finished the match. “I think that also took a toll on the mindset (of the players) as we tried to finish the game,” he said. Best wishes to Johnson as he is recovering from his injury.

All teams will have to wait a week to know their fate as we now enter an international break. The St. Kitts Senior Men’s National Team will bow into action in the Concacaf Nations League this Thursday at 7 p.m. against Guadeloupe at the SKNFA Technical Center.

St. Paul’s have 12 points, winning all four of their Premier League matches thus far.

The goals came from Nicquan Phipps in the fourth minute and Kalonji Clarke in the 45^th minute.

The St. Paul’s match was part of a rare triple header on Sunday; the first ending 6-0 to SOL IAS Conaree FC over Trafalgar Southstars; their first win of the season.

The goals came from Errol O’Loughlin in the 24^th minute, Jahquan Hendrickson in the 28^th minute, Byron Phillip in the 46^th minute, Tijani Fahie in the 50^th minute, Quanieki Clarke in the 64^th minute and Shawn Martin (pk) in the 90^th +3 minute.

The second match saw Flow 4G Cayon Rockets also earning their first win of the season with a come from behind to defeat Hotsprings Bath United 2-1.

Venreece Richards gave Bath United the lead in the 53^rd minute before Cayon Rockets equalized 23 minutes later through Vinceroy Nelson. Five minutes later, Shaheem Prentice got the winner.

On Saturday March 23, SKELEC Garden Hotspurs and MFCR Old Road United Jets came to a goalless draw, while Development Bank St. Peters FC delivered a shocked 3-2 come from behind win against defending champions Rams Village Superstars.

Jayan Duncan (10^th minute), Kadeem Rawlins (72^nd minute) and Shavene Boston (89^th minute) got the goals for Hotspurs while the St. Peters goals came from Joseph Wilkes in the 18^th minute and Kimaree Rogers in the 52^nd minute.

The National Bank Group of Companies Premier League continues on March 27^th and 28^th ahead of the Easter weekend.

Jones Group Sandy Point FC, in a Friday night matchup, having already been relegated ended their season on a high defeating Newtown United 2-1 in Sandy Point.

Sylvester Caines gave Newtown  the lead in the 2^nd minute before T’Ondre Rouse equalized for Sandy Point 11 minutes later. 10 minutes from full time, Zahmai Greene scored Sandy Point’s winner.

Assistant coach of Sandy Point, Kenneth Douglas, said he is proud of his players and that they will be rebuilding in Division 1 with the aim to earn promotion back into the Premier League next season.

“Just wanna say congratulation to the guys. Although we have been losing games, we told them we have to get our win before we go to Division 1, and today they went out there and they played their all; they played with energy; they played with guts and we came home with the victory,” Douglas said.

Newtown’s coach Anthony “Nets” Isaac was very disappointed with the performance of his team.

“Well, I'm very much disappointed about the results. I mean we came down here looking to go up another three points...but I'm very disappointed with the performance," Isaac said.

Also on Friday, July 21, MFCR Old Road United Jets easily dispatched of Fast Cash Saddlers United 2-0 in Saddlers’ last match of the season.

Kaylon Liburd in first half stoppage time and Jardel Isaac in the 56^th minute were the goal scorers for Old Road.

On the Saturday of the final match week, St. Peters FC was trying to earn a playoff spot with a huge 5-2 win over Security Forces FC in Cayon. In the end, despite the big win, it was not enough to give them a spot.

St. Peters went up 5-0 in the first half through goals from Shevene Boston (8’), Tyquan Terrell (11’), Deshawn Collins (32’), Tyquan Terrell (37’) and Shomari Hanley (39’).

Security Forces got a pair of second half consolation goals through Julan Gordon own goal in the 47^th minute and a David Joseph goal in the 58^th.

Coach Austin Huggins of St. Peters offered his thoughts after the match.

“We did well in terms of scoring goals. We did get five goals this evening, but in my estimation, we still lacking in the scoring department, because we wanted to get at least 11 goals," he said.  

Security Forces Assistant Coach George Kinta Gilbert said his team played a much more organized second half.

“In the second half, we organized ourselves...in the first half it was just chaos," he said.

The following match also in Cayon, between Cayon and Conaree ended in a 0-0 draw. Coach Al Edwards of Cayon said his team played a good match, despite not getting a goal.

“Our thoughts and focus now is tweak what we have (for the Super Six)," Edwards said. On the other hand, Conaree’s Coach Al Richards rued their missed chances. “I think at times we were a bit disorganized," Richards said.

Over on Nevis that same day Bath United once again blew a lead to draw the match, this time against St. Paul’s United. Romario Daniel struck twice for Bath in the 8th & 42nd min before Keithroy Freeman scored in the 84th min and Nicquan Phipps in he 90th + 3 min to earn a point.

Meanwhile, the following day at the SKNFA technical center, Garden Hotspurs were beaten 0-5 by Village Superstars.

Joseph Wilkes (16’), Devaughn Elliott (41’), Caaja Burnham (45+1’), Austin Henry (75’) and Tahir Hanley (90’) got the goals for Village.

Coach Stephen Clarke of Village, hailed his players for qualifying for the playoffs, after a very slow and hard start for his team this season.

“The first round was not the best for us as a team and then we had a lot of injuries so we could not practically play consistently,” he explained. "The second round we were more consistent. Players were more consistent, not a lot of players missing so we ended up building a bit of momentum going forward," he said, adding that the team has been playing well both defensively and attacking-wise.

Meanwhile, Coach Steven Brown of Spurs said they started the match well, but it went south after conceding an early goal.

“I wanted the guys to come out today, have fun just to find back the love of playing football because we've been in a funk these past few weeks. We started well but conceded an early goal and it kind of went downhill from there,” he added.

On Tuesday, the action continued in Nevis, this time with Bath United winning—edging Old Road United Jets 1-0. The goal came from Chris Brown in 1^st min of stoppage time.

Then, on Wednesday at the SKNFA Technical Center, Village Superstars and Conaree got 2-0 and 3-0 wins, respectively, over Newtown United and St. Paul’s United.

Village’s goals came from Leroy Hanley in the 18^th minute and Denis Fleming in the 34^th minute.

Anthony Grant (6’), Errol O’Loughlin (45+2’) and Javern Matthew (76’) were the goal scorers for Conaree.

Football fans earnestly await the start of the 2023 Super Six playoffs, but first, there is the matter of the Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield, which will be held for the first time in St. Kitts and Nevis from August 3-13 at Warner Park and the SKNFA Technical Center.