Arima, Malick clash at the SSFL premier division summit

There will be a pair of clashes involving the top four teams in the 16-team 2024 Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) premier division table when league action resumes on September 21.

In a surprise top-of-the-table battle, reigning east zone intercol winners Arima North Secondary will host Malick Secondary at the Arima Velodrome, with four-time premier division champions Naparima College tackling southern rivals and 2022 premier division champions St Benedict's College at Mahaica Oval in Point Fortin. The four aforementioned teams are all one seven points, with Arima heading the table with their +7 goal differential. Malick are in second spot with a +4 goal differential, with "Naps" and St Benedict's in third and fourth spots respectively.

All games in this round will kick off at 4 pm, with the exception of the televised match between the 11th-placed St Mary's College and the eighth-placed Signal Hill Secondary, which will kick off at 4 pm.

Arima are coming off an impressive 3-1 win away to north powerhouse St Anthony's College, and will aim to make the velodrome their fortress after hammering fellow east team St Augustine Secondary by a 5-0 margin in their last home match on September 14.

One fixture which is certain to attract a lot of attention is the clash between reigning national intercol champions Presentation College San Fernando (six points) and premier division holders Fatima College (four points) at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella. This matchup is a rematch of this season's National Gas Company Super Cup game which Fatima won by a 2-1 margin to clinch the first title of the season. Coach Shawn Cooper and his "Pres" team will attempt to reverse their fortunes when they meet the league champions for the second time this season.

Two of St Augustine's three matches have been called off due to bad weather, and they will be hoping for clear skies when they host a sixth-placed St Anthony's team which rattled off wins over St Mary's and East Mucurapo Secondary in their first two matches.

In another showdown in the east, Trinity College East will be in search of their first points of the season when they host the seventh-placed San Juan North Secondary (six points) at their Trincity compound.

In the last scheduled match, cellar-placed Miracle Ministries will face Queen's Royal College (three points) in Edinburgh, Chaguanas. Meanwhile, the game between East Mucurapo Secondary and Speyside Secondary has been postponed due to the unavailability of flights for the Tobago team.

SSFL premier division standings

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

1.Arima North*3*2*1*0*8*1*7*7

2.Malick*3*2*1*0*9*5*4*7

3.Naparima*3*2*1*0*6*3*3*7

4.St Benedict's*3*2*1*0*5*2*3*7

5.Presentation (San Fernando)*2*2*0*0*8*1*7*6

6.St Anthony's College*3*2*0*1*9*4*5*6

7.San Juan North*3*2*0*1*6*4*2*6

8.Signal Hill*3*2*0*1*8*8*0*6

9.Fatima*2*1*1*0*9*1*8*4

10.QRC*3*1*0*2*5*6*-1*3

11.St Mary's College*3*1*0*2*3*10*-7*3

12.Speyside*3*0*1*2*5*8*-3*1

13.Trinity East*3*0*0*3*5*8*-3*0

14.East Mucurapo*3*0*0*3*1*6*-5*0

15.St Augustine*1*0*0*1*0*5*-5*0

16.Miracle Ministries PHS*3*0*0*3*1*16*-15*0