Presentation, St Anthony’s look to follow-up big SSFL wins

AFTER being greeted by a flooded venue in St Augustine for their first game of the 2024 Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) premier division season on September 11, reigning champions Fatima College will hope to commence their title-defence on a winning note when they host the newly promoted Miracle Ministries Pentecostal High School on Mucurapo Road on September 14 to kick off the second round of matches.

All games in round two are scheduled to kick off at 3.30 pm.

For Miracle Ministries, they will try to avoid another lopsided scoreline after being thumped by a 6-0 margin by Presentation College (San Fernando) in their first encounter.

Coach Shawn Cooper’s Presentation team lifted the national intercol title last season. And although they were beaten by Fatima in the season’s curtain-raising National Gas Company Super Cup on September 6, they will be aiming for back-to-back league wins when they make the journey to Queen’s Royal College (QRC). Led by former Soca Warriors striker Kenwyne Jones, the “Royalians” lost 2-1 away to east powerhouse San Juan North Secondary in their opening match.

The QRC team will have the task of seeing off Presentation striker Caleb Boyce, who took the early lead in the league’s goal-scoring race with a beaver-trick on the opening day of the season.

In Tobago, there will be a pair of matches for the fans to savour. Signal Hill Secondary, who got an exciting 3-2 victory against Trinity College East on September 12, will be hosting San Juan North Secondary at the former school’s ground, with Speyside Secondary scheduled to face 2022 premier division champions St Benedict’s College at the Speyside Recreation Ground.

After St Benedict’s drew goalless with Arima North Secondary in their first match, new TT men’s Under-20 football coach Randolph Boyce said his team encountered registration delays for several key players, which led them to use a fairly inexperienced squad against the reigning east zone intercol winners. For his team’s trip across the waters, Boyce will want to have a strengthened squad.

Arima coach Wayne Sheppard highlighted his team’s own pre-season shortcomings after their clash with St Benedict’s, and they will get the opportunity to land their first win of the campaign when they host St Augustine Secondary at the Arima Velodrome.

In the north, there will be three more intriguing fixtures to wrap up this weekend’s action. Fresh from their 6-0 hammering of St Mary’s College in the “Battle of the Saints,” St Anthony’s College will host East Mucurapo Secondary at Westmoorings, with St Mary’s hosting a Malick Secondary team which drew 2-2 with Speyside in their first encounter.

In Trincity, Trinity East will aim to bounce back from their loss to Signal Hill when they welcome four-time premier division champions Naparima College. On the opening day of the campaign, “Naps” started their season on a triumphant note when they defeated Mucurapo 2-0.

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