Caribbean Cup Champs: AC Port of Spain eye three points, Grenades FC hunt upset

GRENADES FC of Antigua and Barbuda will be eyeing an upset victory over local powerhouse AC Port of Spain in the Concacaf Caribbean Club Championship at Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo at 6 pm on September 17.

AC Port of Spain are representing the TT Premier League. AC will be the favourites against the Antiguan outfit, a nonprofessional club, unlike their Trinidad counterparts. AC will be desperate for three points after failing to hold on to a 2-0 lead in their last match against Moca at the latter’s home ground in the Dominican Republic (DR) on August 27.

A brace from John-Paul Rochford gave AC Port of Spain a 2-0 lead with the first goal an exquisite free kick just outside the box.

A penalty by Clifford Thomas in stoppage time gave Moca the 3-2 victory over the Capital Boys.

It was the second time in the space of a week that AC Port of Spain did not manage to hold on to a lead. Ouanaminthe of Haiti recovered from a 1-0 deficit to draw 1-1 with AC on August 22.

Grenades are coming off a narrow 2-1 defeat against Cibao.

In a media conference on September 16, Grenades captain Quinton Griffith said they will leave everything out on the field against AC. He said, “We are going to come out and we are going to give them everything.”

AC coach Walt Noreiga said his players have been putting in the hours in training. “We took the three weeks (off) to work on the stuff we did not get right in the two away games, so hopefully the work we put in will show some dividends in tomorrow’s game,” Noreiga said.

AC skipper Duane Muckette said his team must not give away the advantage after going in front like they did previously. “It is important that we start quickly, but I think it is more important that we manage the game over the 90 minutes better than we did. We started well in the last two games, but we did not continue that momentum.”

Noreiga agreed with his captain, saying, “It is all about managing from the 65th, 70th minute going forward to the 90th.”

He wants a stronger showing at the back. Noreiga said, “Definitely when we are not in possession of the ball (we have to be better), defensively how we do the work because I know the team will create chances. It is just for them to create the chances, but we need to be resilient defensively.

“We got an opportunity to look at them (Grenades) play. We saw some of their key players...again, we just have to be resolute defensively and avoid any simple blunders and tardiness in our game.”

Coach of Grenades Derrick Edwards, said his players are also in search of a win after the defeat to Cibao. “We understand that it is a game that we have to win. AC Port of Spain is a good team and we are here to put on a show for the fans and for our fans home and our team.”

Edwards knows the three points will be a challenge. “We got to see the Port of Spain team play in DR, so we have a pretty good idea what we need to do. It is important that we get three points out of the game. We understand that AC Port of Spain also need three points. We are ready mentally and physically, so it is just for us to go out and execute what we have planned for the last couple of weeks.”

The Grenades attacking players must be more clinical in front of goal. “We should have capitalised on the chances we got in our first game and try to be patient and possess the ball a little bit more,” Edwards said.