Having gone twenty-one games without tasting defeat, champions of the Trinidad and Tobago Premier Football League, the Defence Force, looked to add the tag of “invincibles” in round 22, when they met Prison Service FC.
It took until the 20th minute for Defence Force to open the scoring when a give and go, led to Shaquille Bertrand finding Rivaldo Coryat, who struck the ball in an empty net.
The Tetron Men nearly found a second when Justin Sadoo found Darius Ollivierra inside the box, who tested the Prison keeper. Defence Force were on fire, after Coryat won the ball, he beautifully linked up with Ollivierra who got his name on the scoresheet. Things were going according to plan for Defence Force, who went in at the half leading 2-nil.
But the situation changed in the second half. A saved shot by Defence Force keeper Christopher Biggette, led to Aaron Peters, to the surprise of everyone, remaining onside to get on the end of the return cross. 2-1 the score.
Defence Force restored their two goal advantage when the rushing Prison’s goalkeeper halted the progress of Nicholas Bobcombe, but Jameel Cooper was on hand to fire the loose ball into the back of the net.
After a host of attempts, Kendell Hitlal would put the game out of reach, scoring in the 89th minute to secure a 4-1 win over Prison Service FC.
There were jubilant scenes from the Defence Force bench, as their team, by virtue of their victory, ended the season without registering a SINGLE defeat.
Meanwhile, the day’s earlier game saw second from the bottom of the table, Eagles FC, take on Caledonia AIA, in what was a farewell match for captain Carlyle Mitchell, who announced his retirement from football last week.
After a quiet first half, it took until the 88th for the deadlock to be broken. A poor clearance by Eagles, allowed the ball to fall to Zion Carpette, who got enough on his shot to find its way in the bottom left corner.
Caledonia AIA ended their season on a high, securing a 1-nil victory over Eagles FC, their tenth win of the campaign, finishing the season in 7th spot.
37 year-old Cale captain Carlyle Mitchell was named the Reboot Man of the Match in his final match for the team. The centre-back made 39 appearances for the Senior Men’s National Team in his eighteen-year career.