AC Port of Spain begin life after Muckette with TTPFL clash vs Police

The 2024/25 TT Premier Football League (TTPFL) season is expected to throw up nail-biting action this weekend, with the top four teams in the league table involved in heavyweight clashes.

The Phase 2 La Horquetta recreation ground will be the venue for a mega double-header on January 17, with reigning champs AC PoS meeting last season’s runners-up Miscellaneous Police FC from 6 pm in the first fixture.

The “Capital Boys” of AC PoS are currently third on the 12-team tier one table with 12 points. And though they have already lost to Caledonia AIA and the red-hot Defence Force, AC PoS will be hoping to show they are still the team to beat when they play the fourth-placed Police (ten points).

“Defence Force are ahead of the pack and we don’t want them to pull away too far and then we have to make up ground as well,” AC PoS coach Walt Noriega told Newsday.

“It’s an important game and the nice thing about it is the boys’ confidence is up after the last game against Point Fortin Civic. Police will be confident as well because they came off a huge victory against Eagles FC. It’s about how we manage the game and the defensive part of it to try and nullify them.”

For AC PoS, they will also have to do without the services of former captain and playmaker Duane Muckette, who is set to take up a deal with a club in the Middle East. Muckette scored seven league goals for AC PoS least season, to go along with six goals in the First Citizens Knockout Cup as they made a run to the final.

Former Soca Warriors goalkeeper Marvin Phillip will take over the club’s captaincy.

“It’s a huge loss for AC PoS, because Muckette is not only a leader on the pitch, he’s a leader off the pitch as well. It’s an opportunity for one of the youngsters to step up and try to cement a spot on the squad...we don’t want the players to stay here season after season, so it’s an opportunity for him to further his career.”

In the second game of the La Horquetta double-header, table-toppers Defence Force (18 points) will go after a seventh straight win to start the campaign when they play the second-placed Central FC (15 points) from 8 pm. The Army/Coast Guard combination started the season with a pair of 2-1 wins, and they have since scored six goals in each of their last four games.

Soca Warriors playamker Kevin Molino is in great form for Defence Force, and scored hat-tricks in his team’s last two matches against AC PoS and Caledonia.

Central will hope they have what it takes to stop the rampant Defence Force in their tracks.

On January 18, the bottom-placed Eagles will go after their first points of the season when they play Prisons FC from 5 pm at the St James Police Barracks. The sixth-placed San Juan Jabloteh will aim for back-to-back wins when they play Terminix La Horquetta Rangers from 7 pm in St James.

The weekend’s action will conclude with a double-header at the Mahaica Sporting Complex on January 19. The seventh-placed Club Sando will play 1976 FC Phoenix in the first game from 4 pm, with hosts Point Fortin Civic playing Caledonia at 6 pm.

TTFPL tier one standings:

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

Defence Force FC*6*6*0*0*28*9*19*18

Central FC*6*5*0*1*16*6*10*15

AC PoS*6*4*0*2*14*10*4*12

Police FC*6*3*1*2*20*10*10*10

Caledonia*6*3*1*2*10*13*-3*10

Jabloteh*6*2*2*2*13*12*1*8

Club Sando*6*1*3*2*12*8*4*6

Prisons FC*6*1*3*2*7*10*-3*6

Point Fortin Civic*6*2*0*4*8*12*-4*6

1976 FC Phoenix*6*2*0*4*10*17*-7*6

La Horquetta Rangers*6*1*2*3*7*12*-5*5

Eagles FC*6*0*0*6*3*29*-26*0