Monday, December 7 2009

CALEDONIA AIA and Joe Public, who will contest Friday’s final of the Digicel Pro Bowl, will have a virtual dress-rehearsal today when they face off in the semi-final round of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) FA Trophy.

The FA semi-final double-header will take place at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya.

Caledonia, the defending FA champs, needed kicks from the penalty mark to oust Ma Pau 6-5 in their quarter-final meeting, after the scores were locked at 1-1, while Joe Public’s Pro League outfit, winners in 2001 and 2007, hammered their Eastern Football Association outfit 6-0.

Caledonia’s coach Jamaal Shabazz will be pinning his hopes, for a final berth, on veteran captain Charles Pollard, fellow defenders Walter Moore and Kareem Joseph, defensive midfielder Stephan David and evergeen strikers Randolph Jerome and Kendall Velox.

Joe Public’s captain and striker Kerry Baptiste has been the virtual star of the season, but his coach Derek King will also be expecting a lot from midfielders Trent Noel, Yu Hoshide, Hayden Tinto, defenders Seon Power and Carlyle Mitchell, as well as goalkeeper Alejandro Figueroa.

The Caledonia-Joe Public game is carded for 7 pm while, two hours earlier, W Connection will oppose United Petrotrin.

Connection’s coach Stuart Charles-Fevrier, who guided the club to FA glory in 1999, 2000 and 2002, will be reliant on the performances from his fellow St Lucian, defender and captain Elijah Joseph, Renato Perreira, forwards Jose Carlos Diaz and Jonathan Frias, and midfielder Hughton Hector.

United Petrotrin have endured a disappointing year under Brazilian coach Marcos Tinoco, but they cannot be under-estimated, with his countryman and forward Luis Lima, Gary Glasgow, national Under-20 striker Juma Clarence and captain Makan Hislop in their ranks.

Connection strolled past Valtrin United from the Eastern FA 5-1 in the “quarters” while Petrotrin whipped Siparia Spurs 3-1.The final, originally scheduled to take place on Wednesday, will now be staged at the Macoya venue on December 16.

The winners will pocket $80,000 while the runners-up will receive $40,000 and the beaten semi-finalists $15,000 apiece.