La Clery and Central Castries were the big winners, respectively in the Saint Lucia Football Association [SLFA]Inc. Island Cup league finals, at the Soufriere Mini-Stadium, last weekend.
It has been a while since the city teams achieved some club championship glory in local football circles, and the technical units were satisfied with the commendable performances from the teams.
Premier Cup winners La Clery got past Dennery 4-1 in the finals, on Sunday. After being 1-1 at the interval, La Clery stormed back with some sting to outdo the East-coast contenders.
La Clery took the lead in the 19’ with a brilliant goal struck by Yanic Noel from outside the box, as he intercepted the ball and hit a powerful left kick into the nets. Not letting up on the challenge, Dennery fought back to get the equalizer from the spot in the 37’, with Kenvie Polius slotting in.
On the rebound, La Clery stung again minutes after the interval, in the 46’ with Noel on the rampage to execute a stunning solo run and convert with a sharp shot into goal for a brace. As La Clery stepped up the pressure going ‘for the kill’ Travis St Prix let loose a scorcher in the 52’ to give his team a comfortable 3-1 lead.
Spurred on by its lively fan base, Dennery attempted to conjure up some late fight back, but to no avail. La Clery’s left-wing defender Dante Fitz converted with a powerful left foot shot in the 5’ of extra time to give his team a duly deserved victory.
Curtis Moroe, assistant coach of the La Clery football team, spoke to reporters about the joy and delight savoured by the players and technical unit to see the team’s hard work pay off.
He said La Clery went into the match with a set plan, the team morale was high and they took the attack to their opponent from the onset. However, after Dennery equalized the team were further motivated during the interval to go out and complete the task.
“It was quite remarkable how they held up and they exhibited some character and then they took change of the game,” asserted Moroe.
Commenting on the championship victory within the Castries Basin, he noted that “football is a developmental sport and the Castries teams has placed second and third in previous competitions”.
He said, last year, La Clery were runners-up in the competition having faced some issues with injury to players and those who traveled overseas. “We have been training the young guys and they have been very disciplined, and receptive,” the assistant coach added. “Football goes through a cycle, we have seen (teams like) Dennery and Canaries producing results …and then it’s our turn right now. Because, we have been keeping these guys together so that they can perform, and right now it is bearing fruit.”
In the third-place playoffs, Gros Islet edged out Desruisseaux 1- nil for the bronze medals. Fielding a youthful side, Gros Islet took the initiative with a14’ goal from Rickelme Lionel and despite some twists and turns, the northern side held it together to secure the victory.
Super Cup
Last Saturday (January 20,) there was a tight match-up between home team Soufriere and Central Castries for the Super Cup championship trophy, but in the end after a blistering challenge – Central Castries emerged winners via penalty shoot out.
Central Castries took the lead within the first five minutes of play, but Soufriere fought back hard for the equalizer. And though Central Castries converted from the spot for a 2-1 lead, Soufriere hit back to level the score at a crucial time in the game.
Nonetheless, the home side saw their chances go-a-begging during the penalty tussle as they missed the target three times, while Central Castries struck boldly with one shot off target to stride on to victory.
Head coach Nigel James echoed the sentiments of the La Clery competitors, saying that it took a lot of hard work and determination to savour the victory.
Referring to the strategy employed by Central Castries for the win, James declared that taking on this year’s Blackheart Knockout Football Champions, Soufriere was an added motivation for the Central Castries team. He added: “We were the underdogs and we have a nucleus of young players and senior players and we had a good blend …and that worked for us.”