Fatima coach: No pressure on team ahead of 'Naps' clash

FATIMA College coach Kerdyn Moe said there will be no pressure on the league leaders when they travel to Lewis Street in San Fernando to take on Naparima College in a top-of-the-table Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) premier division clash on October 15. All eight games on match day ten will kick off from 3.30 pm, with the clash between the defending champions Fatima (22 points) and the second-placed Naparima (21 points) easily the match of the round.

Thus far, Moe’s Fatima have won seven of the six games in the league campaign, with coach Angus Eve’s “Naps” team winning all seven of their games thus far – scoring a whopping 28 goals in the process. Naparima have been in menacing form with as many as 12 players finding the scoresheet this season, while they have conceded the solitary goal at the other end. On the last match day on October 11, Fatima came from behind to get a 2-1 victory over a spirited Queen’s Royal College (16 points), with Naparima having their way with the “Green Machine” of St Augustine Secondary when they got a thumping 8-0 win.

Speaking to Newsday after Fatima’s victory over QRC, Moe said the boys from Mucurapo Road have had a target on their backs so far this season, but have been managing well. He noted a tricky upcoming schedule, though, with matches against Arima North Secondary (October 22) and the third-placed Presentation College San Fernando (October 25) following closely heels on their match with Naparima.

“Every team in this competition is difficult. Everybody who is coming to play Fatima are going to try and bring their “A” game,” Moe said. “We never have an easy game. We respect our opponents, do our analysis and we try to see how we can negate their good parts and succeed. In terms of the title defence, we’re taking it one game at a time.”

“That game is by them (Naparima), too, so that’s going to be a difficult game. One versus two,” Moe said, of the trip to the southern giants. “Angus always has a lot of tricks up his sleeves, and he has a very talented squad and a good staff...there’s no pressure. We know we’re a young team. They’re home, so it’s nothing to disappoint our fans. We will go down there and do the best we could do...and take the game as it comes.”

Also on match day ten, the “Pres Lions” (18 points) will aim to get back to winning ways after their surprise loss to Signal Hill Secondary on the weekend. They will play the other Tobago school, Scarborough Secondary (five points), at Shaw Park in Tobago.

At Westmoorings, the “Battle of the Saints” will take centre stage when the seventh-placed St Anthony’s College (ten points) play host to rivals St Mary’s College (15 points). At QRC Grounds in St Clair, Kenwyne Jones’ fourth-placed QRC will host fellow north team Trinity College Moka (six points), with the 11th-placed St Augustine (eight points) taking on national intercol holders St Benedict’s College (15 points), who are now sixth. In the other clash, the relegation-threatened pair of Carapichaima East Secondary (no points) and San Juan North Secondary (five points) will battle at Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva. Two matches scheduled for October 15 have been postponed, as Signal Hill’s home clash with Malick Secondary will now be pushed back, along with Arima North Secondary’s matchup with Trinity College East.

SSFL premier division standings

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

Fatima*8*7*1*0*24*10*14*22

Naparima*7*7*0*0*28*1*27*21

Presentation (Sando)*8*6*0*2*17*7*10*18

QRC*9*5*1*3*17*14*3*16

St Mary's College*9*4*3*2*28*15*13*15

St Benedict's*7*5*0*2*18*8*10*15

St Anthony's College*6*3*1*2*20*12*8*10

Arima North*9*2*4*3*15*16*-1*10

Signal Hill*5*3*0*2*15*7*8*9

Malick*8*2*2*4*18*19*-1*8

St Augustine*8*2*2*4*8*24*-16*8

Trinity Moka*7*2*0*5*11*21*-10*6

Trinity East*8*2*0*6*11*30*-19*6

San Juan North*6*1*2*3*12*16*-4*5

Scarborough*8*1*2*5*9*25*-16*5

Carapichaima East*9*0*0*9*6*31*-25*0

*Editor's note: St Augustine were deducted three points for fielding an ineligible player in their October 1 match with St Mary's who were awarded all three points.