Intercol 2022: “It’s been in South for too long!” Fatima punish St Benedict’s goalkeeping error in final

“Back in the North at last!”

Those were the sentiments of Fatima College coach Hutson “Baba” Charles as his team got their first National Intercol title since 2005, after eking out a 1-nil win in the grand finale versus St Benedict’s College at the Hasely Crawford Stadium yesterday.

In this season’s Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) Premier Division Big 4 Final, St Benedict’s captain Tarik Lee scored an impressive hat-trick as the “Golden Lions” of La Romaine roared to a deserved 3-1 win over Fatima at the Ato Boldon Stadium.

Yesterday though, the boys from Mucurapo Road were in no mood to give way to their southern opponents, and they bullied and harried the St Benedict’s team for much of the 90 minutes.

Fatima never gave St Benedict’s technicians room to dally or dance with the ball and the game’s lone goal, just 12 minutes into the affair, came as forward Joshua Mason aggressively pressing the opposing back line.

St Benedict’s goalkeeper Ja-ir Buckmire tried to clear a back pass by centre back Nesean Alexander and, under pressure, it rebounded fortuitously off Mason and into the back of the net.

Buckmire’s three penalty saves in the South Intercol final helped his team edge a tense shootout against Presentation College (San Fernando) at that stage of the competition. But he presumably wanted a hole to swallow him up at the Port of Spain venue in yesterday’s final.

Charles didn’t mind how he got it. He was a happy man.

“This is something we have been talking about since pre-season—we wanted to win some trophies to bring back to Fatima,” Charles told Wired868. “Unfortunately, we fell short in the League. But I always felt that we would get to [National Intercol] finals with the football we were playing. And now, we are Intercol champions.

“It’s about time the Intercol trophy comes back to the North. It’s been in South too long. I’m glad for Fatima. They haven’t celebrated like this since 2005, so all kudos to them.”

Unfortunately, Mason could not enjoy the celebrations as he was stretchered off the field after 33 minutes.

“I think he went by the dentist today [and] got some injections and anaesthetics,” said Charles, “and I think the constant running up and down caused him to get blackouts.”

Numerous attempts were made to revive Mason on the Hasely Crawford track before he was eventually whisked to the ambulance on the stroke of halftime to rapturous applause from the crowd.

“I haven’t gotten an update yet but I know he’s in good hands,” said Charles.

Truth be told, St Benedict’s needed reviving as well. They were far from their fluid best yesterday, as Fatima successfully disrupted their passing game with some intense pressing.

Khiba Romany, used at centre forward rather than in his usual midfield role, led Fatima’s defensive effort, while his pace and hold-up play worried his opponents so much that both St Benedict’s central defenders, Nesean Alexander and Joshua Demas, were booked trying to stop him.

Sixteen-year-old Jaden Williams put in an impressive shift in central defence, as Lee—despite the occasional mazy, tantalising run—did not get a sight at Tristan Edwards in the Fatima goal

And in the midfield, Charles used captain Christian Bailey and Jose Attong as holding players to nullify St Benedict’s pacy counter attacking quartet.

It worked to perfection.

Known more for his bombarding runs down Fatima’s right flank, Bailey adjusted to his new role seamlessly as he and Attong snapped at loose balls in the middle of the park and limited time and space for opposing midfielders Ephraim Brown and Josiah Ochoa.

As the pressure got to the St Benedict’s players, Alexander was lucky to avoid an early show after dishing out an elbow to the jaw of Fatima substitute Kade Collier.

Assistant referee Ainsley Rochard seemed to be trying to catch referee Nikolai Nyron’s attention to Alexander’s elbow—delivered in retaliation to a foul by Collier—but the former player escaped further punishment.

St Benedict’s coach Randolph Boyce turned to his bench for inspiration as Derrel “Zoom Zoom” Garcia and Jeremiah Niles were taken off midway through the second half, while Ochoa and pacy forward Nicholas Bobcombe followed in the latter stages of the encounter.

Ochoa’s replacement, Rayshawn Crichlow, forced Edwards into a parried save in the third minute of second half stoppage time. But there was nobody there to follow up.

Edwards had another anxious moment in the fifth and final minute of stoppage time, as he fumbled the ball at his near post following a corner from another St Benedict’s substitute, Tyrique Lucas.

But Fatima cleared their lines. And, at the final whistle, Mason’s goal separated the two teams.

“Yes, our goal came from a deflection,” said Charles, as he grinned from ear to ear. “But what a sweet deflection it was!”

In 2014, East Mucurapo Secondary thwarted St Benedict’s in the National Intercol final. Yesterday, it was the turn of their Mucurapo Road neighbours.

What a time for St Benedict’s to suffer their first loss of the SSFL season.

(Teams)

St Benedict’s College (4-3-3): 1.Ja-ir Buckmire (GK); 4.Keanu Morean, 6.Nesean Alexander, 5.Joshua Demas, 19.Lyshawn Morris; 8.Derrel Garcia (18.Tyrique Lucas 63), 15.Ephraim Brown, 12.Josiah Ochoa (20.Rayshawn Crichlow 83); 10.Nicholas Bobcombe (21.Malacai Webb 80), 7.Tarik Lee (captain), 11.Jeremiah Niles (9.Jaden Grant 59).

Unused substitutes: 22.Thane Devenish (GK), 2.Joshua Phillip, 3.Anthony Williams.

Coach: Randolph Boyce

Fatima College (4-2-3-1): 40.Tristan Edwards (GK); 3.Jesse Hospedales, 6.Jaden Williams, 2.Alijah Nunes, 5.Darius Jordan (4.Yohance Atherton 80); 33.Christian Bailey (captain), 17.Jose Attong; 12.Chaim Williams (15.Michael Chaves 80), 10.Aidan DeGannes, 9.Joshua Mason (14.Kade Collier 33); 7.Khiba Romany.

Unused substitutes: 8.Justin Alcantara, 11.Josiah Corbin, 16.Savio Yearwood.

Coach: Hutson Charles

Referee: Nikolai Nyron

Wired868 Man of the Match: Christian Bailey (Fatima College)

National Intercol final

(Wed 7 Dec)

St Benedict’s College 0, Fatima College 1 (Joshua Mason 12) at Hasely Crawford Stadium.