Sports
Roneil Walcott
THE “Westmoorings Tigers” of St Anthony’s College dethroned Fatima College as Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) Coca-Cola boys’ north zone intercol champions after getting a thrilling 4-2 victory over the latter team in their 2025 zonal final at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo on December 3.
Both teams were reduced to ten men in an encounter which had fans on the edge of their seats for a 90-minute roller-coaster ride. The game started in bizarre fashion for last year’s north intercol champions, as Fatima lost a player roughly two minutes into the contest when star attacker Phillip Nelson was shown his marching orders for an off-the-ball incident.
The early red card definitely unsettled the Fatima players, and they were 2-0 down by the 27th minute while goalkeeper Jadon Pollard looked a nervous wreck every time the ball entered his penalty area. Man of the Match Kanye Glasgow opened the scoring in the sixth minute when he squeezed in a left-footed shot at the near post after tricking his way past a defender. Meanwhile, Kymani Thomas made it two with a close-range shot after Pollard failed to palm a Jaeden Bobb shot out of the danger zone.
By the end of the first half, Fatima looked to be a beaten side as the Tigers slowed down the game at will while the former team rarely threatened Necose Moore’s 18-yard box.
It’s uncertain what messages the teams received at the halftime break, but Fatima were certainly rejuvenated on the resumption as they dramatically pulled the game back to 2-2 by the 49th minute thanks to a brace from their dynamic midfielder Seth Hadeed.
Just 22 seconds after the restart, Hadeed scored his first after Jonathan Mason had a close-range shot saved by Moore before a fortunate ricochet found its way to the Fatima playmaker in front of goal. Just three minutes later, Hadeed found the net again as he calmly passed a right-footed penalty past Moore after last-man Malique Marshall made a senseless tackle to take down electric Fatima substitute Jeremai Nanton. Despite his many protests, Marshall received a straight red for his troubles and Fatima seemed to be seizing the momentum in the crazy north zone tussle.
Conceding two early second-half goals was probably the reality check the Tigers needed, as they sparked back into action soon after to settle into a rhythm again.
With the game in the balance, St Anthony’s got the crucial go-ahead goal in the 66th minute and their item was a thing of beauty involving Adriel Faure and captain Mordecai Ford. Faure initiated the move with a run down the left before finding his skipper with a clever switch to the right side of the penalty area. Ford would have been forgiven for taking a shot with his favoured left foot, but he instead drilled the ball across the area for Faure to sweep home in fine style at the back post to make it 3-2. Fatima had a few chances to muster another equaliser, with Nanton and an inspired Hadeed both coming close. Nanton missed a pair of volleys from close quarters, while Hadeed had a curling, long-range effort just tipped wide by Moore in the 74th minute.
With Fatima committing bodies forward, Glasgow clinically killed off the game in the 87th minute when he delightfully curled a right-footer into the net from the edge of the area after being found in space by Ford.
In the national intercol semifinals, the Tigers will dance with Tobago champions Signal Hill Secondary, who defeated Speyside High School 4-3 in a thrilling comeback effort at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet, Tobago, on December 3 in their zonal finale. Similar to Fatima, Signal Hill were reduced to ten men inside the first two minutes and eventually went a goal down as well. However, Signal Hill’s comeback story found favour as they just edged Speyside in the seven-goal thriller.
