Police top TTPFL tree at Christmas, big wins for 'Cale,' Eagles

The lawmen and civilians of Miscellaneous Police FC (22 points) will be top of the TT Premier Football League (TTPFL) tree at Christmas as their 2-1 win over the third-placed Club Sando (18 points) at the St James Police Barracks on December 20 saw them move back to the summit of the 2025/26 table.

With the next TTPFL match day scheduled for Boxing Day on December 26, Police can fill their stockings with extra cheer before their next outing against the fourth-placed Prisons FC (16 points) as they now hold a narrow two-point lead over holders Defence Force (20 points), who remain the only unbeaten team this season. An intriguing double-header is tentatively scheduled for the Sangre Grande recreation ground on Boxing Day, as Defence Force are set to meet last season’s runner-up MIC Central FC Reboot from 5 pm, with the lawmen facing Prisons afterwards from 7 pm.

While there is much jostling for position at the top of the table, a couple of teams did their bit to try and build momentum and escape the bottom-half of the table as both Caledonia AIA (ten points) and FC Eagles (four points) registered convincing wins at the Mahaica Sporting Complex, Point Fortin on December 21 to wrap up this past weekend’s TTPFL action.

In the first game of the Point Fortin double-header, Eagles (four points) moved from the foot of the table as they spanked the tenth-placed 1976 FC Phoenix 4-1 after conceding an early item from the league’s top scorer Teejay Cadiz, who notched his eighth goal of the season.

Before the game, Eagles coach Reshad Wint cut a confident figure and promised his team would get their first victory of the campaign. At the half, Wint made an inspired double-change as the pair of forward Jomoul Francois and winger Miquel Williams entered the action, with both men going on to play crucial roles in the Eagles’ comeback. The 30-year-old Francois, who only recently returned to action after a two-year injury layoff, scored a predatory brace while Williams was a handful with his wide play.

The Eagles’ equaliser came from Sedale “Skem” McLean in the 50th minute, with the flanker slapping home a left-footer from inside the area after cutting in from the right. McLean was denied a brace just three minutes later from goalkeeper Shaheem Carrington, but Eagles didn’t have to wait long for the go-ahead goal as Francois passed into the net just past the hour-mark when the impressive Dominic Douglas knocked down a left-side Williams cross. Francois then made it 3-1 in the 68th minute with another facile close-range finish after McLean squared from the byline.

Douglas completed the comeback from close quarters in the 87th minute as the Eagles’ frontmen again broke down the Phoenix backline with a measured move down the left.

In the second game in Mahaica, the eighth-placed “Cale” made light work of the hosts Civic whom they spanked 4-0. Striker Malachi Celestine scored a clinical first-half brace for Cale, with in-form Tobago attacker Jariel Arthur and Ernesto Rodriguez rounding off the scoring in the second half.

At the barracks on December 20, another Tobago-born forward in Mickaeel “Jem” Gordon had a crucial say in proceedings as he scored the winning item in Police’s victory over Club Sando. Police took the lead in the 29th minute when a cross from defender Elijah Belgrave took a wicked deflection off opposing defender Elton John before settling in the net.

Sando’s response was immediate as midfielder Marc Wharfe scored with a beautiful left-footed curler from outside the area five minutes later. In first-half stoppage time, though, Police got the winner when Gordon tapped in from close range after goalkeeper Teshorne Ragoo spilled a right-side cross.

In the first game of the barracks double-header, AC Port of Spain (14 points) moved from seventh to sixth with a 2-1 win over a Prisons team which has lost three of their last four games after starting the season with a five-game winning streak.

TTFPL tier one standings:

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

Police FC*9*7*1*1*21*10*11*22

Defence Force*8*6*2*0*18*7*11*20

Club Sando*9*6*0*3*21*7*14*18

Prisons*9*5*1*3*14*9*5*16

MIC Central FC*9*5*1*3*17*18*-1*16

AC Port of Spain*9*4*2*3*13*13*0*14

Jabloteh*9*3*3*3*15*19*-4*12

Caledonia*8*3*1*4*16*15*1*10

Point Fortin*9*2*1*6*8*18*-10*7

1976 FC Phoenix*9*2*0*7*12*22*-10*6

Eagles FC*8*1*1*6*11*15*-4*4

La Horquetta Rangers*8*1*1*6*6*19*-13*4