Green Machine book SSFL premier division spot after win over Signal Hill

EAST zone school St Augustine Secondary sealed their promotion to the 2024 Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) premier division on Saturday, when they got a 1-0 win over Signal Hill Secondary to move to the summit of the Big 5 championship playoff table with one game left in their campaign.

St Augustine, the 2023 East zone championship division winners, moved to seven points with the slender win and are guaranteed of a top-three finish in the playoffs. Signal Hill, who have four points from three matches, can still qualify for next season's premier division and they will meet North zone championship division winners Blanchisseuse Secondary (four points) in a critical match which will conclude either team's playoff campaign.

After playing out a goalless first half against the Tobago champions on their St Augustine school compound, the "Green Machine" got the pivotal winning goal in the 53rd minute from Jamel Cooper. Relegated from the premier division at the end of the 2022 season, coach Tacuma Jones' St Augustine team can prepare to rub shoulders with the SSFL's best once more in about seven months' time.

There will be a wait to determine the remaining two promoted spots, though. The last round of matches in the Big 5 playoffs were scheduled for Tuesday, but the SSFL has now delayed the end of the tournament after the postponement of the game between Moruga Secondary and Miracle Ministries Pentecostal High School on Saturday.

Miracle Ministries (two points) and Moruga (one point) occupy the last two spots in the Big 5 standings, and their game was called off on Saturday after ten players from the former school displayed flu-like symptoms before the encounter.

On Monday, the SSFL issued a release which confirmed Miracle Ministries' unavailability in the Big 5 playoffs "until after Thursday February 29 due to their players displaying flu-type symptoms."

The SSFL release said, "All games scheduled for Tuesday February 27 to be postponed. On the resumption of the league, Miracle Ministries will play Moruga Secondary before the last two games of the competition."

The League also said the revised fixtures will be disseminated on Tuesday.

Aside from their matchup with the cellar-placed Moruga, coach Kern Cupid's Miracle Ministries team also have an outstanding fixture to be played against the newly promoted St Augustine Secondary. Thus far, Miracle Ministries have played out goalless draws against both Blanchisseuse and Signal Hill.

When the health of their players improve, Miracle Ministries will hope they can find the goals needed to cement a spot in the SSFL premier division. Blanchisseuse and Signal Hill will stake their own promotion claim when they lock horns in their fixture in Tobago.

SSFL Big 5 playoff standings:

Team*GP*W*D*L*GF*GA*GD*Pts

1.St Augustine*3*2*1*0*3*1*2*7

2.Blanchisseuse*3*1*1*1*5*3*2*4

3.Signal Hill*3*1*1*1*3*2*1*4

4.Miracle Ministries*2*0*2*0*0*0*0*2

5.Moruga*3*0*1*2*4*9*-5*1