QRC Link

QRC 2

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Fatima 2

QRC showed new grit and determination to come from behind and take a two-all draw from third-placed Fatima.

It was Fatima though that drew first blood and that early, through National Under-17 midfielder and Fatima dangerman Chad De Freitas. An storming raid up QRC’s right saw the ball floated into the box, and young De Freitas poked it into the goal in the resulting scramble.

The team’s new look defence, featuring Shabaka Mahluli back from a one-game suspension and Rashad Griffith playing both wing-back and striker, was put under tremendous pressure during the first half. The midfield, organised around Keron Doldron, was also having a hard time playing at Fatima’s pace. As a result there was little opportunity to advance the ball to strike pair Britto and Griffith on the ground. The long ball out of the back was also little effective as it was hindered by a crosswind that had the flags flapping full out for the duration of the game.

Fatima’s pressure paid dividends in the 40th. A hurried clearance by Mahluli was met by Kaejay Ramoro, who hit fiercely to put the home team up by two.

The second half saw QRC respond to Fatima’s pressure with tempo. Fatima was not allowed to settle into their game and found themselves having to pull so far back that QRC’s back three could often be found close to the half line. The QRC midfield was also now challenging the Fatima players more robustly for possession, effectively cutting off the threat posed by De Freitas. De Freitas himself was also nullified by the introduction of tall Gabriel Wales who remained no more than a half step away from the Fatima striker whenever the ball drifted into the defensive third.

The midfield intensity allowed the QRC centre to fan the ball left and right to both Britto and Griffith, scrambling the Fatima defence. Now back in the game and a goalscoring threat to be respected, Britto found himself on the end of a deft ground pass into the Fatima 18-yard box before he and ball were cleared away in a rash tackle by Fatima’s Brenton Balbosa. QRC’s Keron Doldron put the resulting penalty just beyond the reach of Fatima keeper Christopher Coker to pull the Boys in Blue back by one in the 70th.

While Fatima would have hoped to hold on for the win, consistent QRC pressure hinted otherwise. Good defensive work saw any Fatima counterattack smothered or end in a rushed and off-target shot. The home team would eventually break in injury time.

A long ball out of the defence met Griffith on the run up the right. He turned inside his marker, travelled quickly into the Fatima box and pushed near-post for the equalizer, securing a point for the Royalians.

The result has showed that the St. Clair outfit does have the ability to take on solid opposition and turn out a good result. One would hope that the team can build on the day’s performance in the second round.

In other zonal matches, Diego Martin and Mucurapo Senior played to a goalless draw at Diego Martin, and Malick trounced Trinity College at the National Stadium 4-1.

At the end of the first round of league play, QRC remains in sixth position on the table with 4 points.

QRC next tackles Trinity at home on Wednesday October 3rd.

First Round Standings
Team	-W-	-D-	-L-	GF	GA	GD	Pts
St. Anthony’s	5	1	0	15	4	11	16
Malick	5	1	0	15	4	11	16
Fatima	3	1	2	11	13	-2	10
Mucurapo	2	1	3	7	9	-2	7
Diego Sec	1	2	3	4	10	-6	5
QRC	1	1	4	9	12	-3	4
Trinity	0	1	5	3	13	-10	1

QRC 1

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Mucurapo 2

On match day, current North Zone Champions Mucurapo showed that their poor run of form was not for lack of shots on goal but for want of a finishing touch. The Boys in Blue had a very promising start though and, but for the one Mucurapo goal, a better first half than they have had for the season to date.

With Jerrel Britto and Rashad Griffith running up front, QRC attempted to make use of both attacking options, rather than channelling everything to the younger player. This gave both players room to work against the rough-housing Mucurapo defence, and permitted each a number of shots at goal in the early going.

However, Griffith’s presence up front left the back line significantly weakened. Less than certain defensive work on the right permitted Mucurapo’s Kern St. Louis time to trap and travel unaccosted before shooting straight at goal past a diving Yannick Ducharissee in the 20th.

The assertive play that QRC had previously held for late in the second half paid dividends less than three minutes later however. A long ball out of the defence was picked up by Britto on the right wing. The young striker was able to pull inside his marker and hold him off as he made his run into the box. With Rashad holding up the defencemen in front of the goal, Britto was able to push the ball inside the near post for the equaliser.

Throughout the remainder of the first half, QRC continued to press for the go-ahead goal. While both teams were able to add to their shot tally, it was the Royalians’ forays that looked more promising despite crushing tackles and generally rough play. Indeed, it was as a result of successive goalmouth clashes, one which left Rashad down following a kick to the ribs, that the Mucurapo keeper had to be taken off on a stretcher before half-time. Despite QRC’s dominance though, the teams went into the interval even.

Mucurapo started the second half though showing all too clearly that a draw would not be enough. They began by dominating the middle, closing all passing options to Britto. He also seemed to disappear if only for his own self preservation given the attention of a Mucurapo player affectionately named “Big Show” by his schoolmates.

Taking the pace of the game up a half step also pushed the QRC midfield back on its heels. Communication problems that have plagued the team reappeared, and players were pushing the ball forward to no-one in particular and knocking laterally or backward into trouble.

However, solid play by a spirited left-back, good hands on the keeper, and the omnipresent QRC captain Kareem Richardson, saw the ball taken off the feet of Mucurapo players at the last moment over and over again. Despite the loss, Richardson himself must be commended for his vision and execution under pressure. He showed an uncanny ability to identify the player that would eventually take the shot, position to challenge, and either clear himself or set Yannick up for the save.

It was Mucurapo that would prevail though. In near dark, Mucurapo’s Mutah Taylor would hit a hurried shot in the box that would ring off the underside of the crossbar and eventually bobble into the goal.

QRC had barely enough time to touch the ball off the centre spot before the referee blew off the match.

With Malick on a bye, St. Anthony’s College’s 5-nil drubbing of Diego Martin Secondary was more than enough to take them to the top of the zone standings with 16 points. Malick remain second on 13 points, but with a game in hand.

Fatima’s 2-1 win over Trinity at Moka takes their tally to 9 points and they retain third position in the standings.

Mucurapo’s second win leapfrogs them into fourth position over Diego Martin who drop to fifth.

The loss means that the slide continues, and the Royalians are now placed sixth ahead of Trinity College. Trinity in the cellar postion have just one point from their five matches to date.

QRC returns to Fatima Ground on Saturday 29th September to face Fatima College.

QRC 0

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Diego Sec 2

A team with nothing to lose and everything to prove brought their A-game on a road trip and left St. Clair with full points. What should have been shooting practice for the Royalians turned into their most embarrassing and unexpected defeat for the season thus far.

QRC played host to a smaller, faster and more deliberate Diego Martin Secondary outfit, and were exposed less than five minutes after the whistle.

A long ball out of the Diego Martin defensive midfield set their two strikers on the chase toward the QRC goal. Marshalled closely on the left and right by two QRC defenders, Diego striker Cordell Cato slowed just enough to catch the ball behind him on his heel and flick it over their heads. As the keeper overcommitted himself, the tiny player poked the dropping ball deftly forward. Another rushing QRC player ran in and attempted to clear the ball hard across the face of the goal. His fierce effort ended up pushing it just inside the far post to put Diego Martin up one.

For another match, a multiplicity of problems including poor form and bad attitudes plagued the home team. However at an individual level, our players are not necessarily wanting for talent. But one is left to wonder whether terms like “Man on!” and “Leave!” are no longer in a player’s vocabulary. Consequently, the coach would do well to focus on passing and communication on the field in the next few training sessions.

Despite good individual work by third-year defenceman cum striker Rashad Griffith and Shabaka Mahlali playing out of the midfield, QRC could not manage to close the gap. At the same time though, centre-back Kareem Richardson, made to work too hard by his own wing backs, helped a shaky looking keeper to keep the Diego Martin attack honest.

Unfortunately, a game that could have been an uptempo affair was unnecessarily stilted by an overly-controlling referee. He at one point went as far as halting a promising QRC counter-attack when he noticed that a Diego Martin player was rolling on the ground on the other end of the field, way out of play. Both linesmen need also closely review FIFA’s Law 11 as they too put unnecessary stops to the game on both ends.

The QRC coach would do well to reconsider the attack’s singular reliance on national striker Jerrel Britto. Not only did the youngster not do very much to free himself and to call for the ball, he was caught gaping on several occasions as wingers made forays down the lines, eventually having no-one to pass to in or at the top of the Diego Martin box. Britto’s apparent tendency to hang to the left also pulled almost all play to that side of the field, until Griffith began to look for opportunities on the right in the second half. The heavy responsibility of being the team’s go-to guy appears to have led to the error in judgement that created Diego Martin’s second goal.

Britto, visibly frustrated by poor service up front and bad calls throughout the game, drifted into QRC’s bottom third and held up the ball on the left side of the field. Picked out immediately by two Diego Martin players, he chose to try to beat his way out of the situation rather than flick off the ball to free team mates. As the ball was poked free, Cordell Cato was again on spot to pick it up and make a surging short run to goal. He fired a fierce and clinical shot past a stretching keeper up into the vee to notch his second for the game.

Despite the small QRC supporting crowds calling for Britto to make up for his error, the CFU Under-15 Championship top scorer spent more time throwing up his hands than trying to marshall his troops. Diego Martin had by that time though settled into eight-man defence, and continued in that fashion until the final whistle.

In the day’s marquee match, St. Anthony’s and Malick played to a goalless draw at Westmoorings, the Laventille outfit thus retaining top position on the league table. Mucurapo secured their first victory in four games with a one-nil win over Trinity College. Their -3 goal difference leaves them in sixth position in the seven-team table. Trinity’s only points to date coming from a draw, they hold cellar position. Fatima on a bye retains 3rd.

The QRC-Diego Martin result moves Diego ahead of QRC to 4th position with four points from their four games. QRC drops from fourth to fifth with only one win in their first match.

The Royalians next face Mucurapo at Fatima Ground on Wednesday 26th. One hopes that the technical staff will find a way to halt the team’s slide.

QRC 2

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Malick 4

Having missed much of the first half, we defer to SchoolSoccerNet.com’s commentary on the match.

The match started off brightly for both teams with shooting opportunities made by both teams. Malick eventually settled into their trademark counter attacking style, which has worked so well for them over the season, while QRC had the slight edge in possession. In the 14th minute QRC got the game’s opening goal, when a free kick was whipped dangerously into the penalty box. The Malick defense failed to clear their lines and was punished when the ball fell to the feet of QRC’s Richard Inniss who buried it past the helpless Joseph Baird in the Malick goal.

Malick immediately pressed for an equalizer and got their break in the 23rd minute when Theon James brought down Hollan Joseph en route to goal, in the penalty box. The referee wasted no time in pointing to the spot and Jaamal Reyes stepped up and calmly converted it to make the score 1-1. Hollan Joseph created quite a few problems for the QRC defense and, on another day, could have scored a couple of goals. He could have given his team the lead just before half time when he was again played clean through on QRC’s keeper, Yannick Duchaussee, but his powerful shot was hit directly at Duchaussee.

Seven minutes after the half time break, Malick got the go-ahead goal. Joseph was again involved when he played a beautiful ball from the left hand side directly into the path of Robert Primus. Primus controlled the ball, dribbled into the penalty box and blasted it onto the underside of the crossbar and into the back of the net, giving Duchaussee absolutely no chance. The Malick team really turned out the style at this point, playing some extremely attractive counter-attacking football with precise passes, just missing the finishing touch to extend their lead.

QRC almost capitalized on their opponent’s lack of finishing when, in the 61st minute, they pulled themselves level against the run of play. A Kerron Doldron corner was played into the penalty box, and Malick, again guilty of some half hearted defending, were was punished by Rayshad Griffith when the loose ball made its way to his feet.

Malick regained their advantage in the 67th minute when it was their turn to profit from some loose defending. Akeem ‘Crouch’ Bailey pounced on loose ball in the penalty box and tucked it home giving his team the 3-2 lead. His Jamaican ’‘Tek Wey Yuhself’ celebration was well appreciated by the Malick supporters. ‘Crouch’ was again on hand to double his team’s advantage in the 74th minute after a brilliant 1-2 with his teammate, and the prolific striker was left with the simple task of slotting the ball beneath the onrushing goalkeeper into the back of the net. This time his team left him no room for one of his dancing celebrations, as they swarmed him for finally giving them a two goal safety cushion.

Reading between the very positive lines of SchoolSoccerNet’s coverage, one can glean the essence of one spectator’s comment that despite the result, “football lost this match today.” With myriad wasted goalscoring opportunities, loose defending, and players standing around and waiting for the ball to come to them, it was also the first time in a long time that people would have seen a player apparently substituted for being lazy.

There were some bright spots for the Royalians though. An interesting switch (maybe permanent?) late in the second half saw left-back Rayshad Griffith pushed into a forward position, adding some punch to an otherwise lacklustre attack. *Huge* striker Richard Collingwood took over defensive duties, and while slower than Griffith, held his corner adequately but could not help enough to keep Malick from punching through the QRC back line to register their fourth item.

In other matches, Fatima eked out a 3-2 victory over Diego Martin Secondary, while St. Anthony’s continued to display form with a 2-1 win against Trinity College at Moka.

With four wins each, Malick and St. Anthony’s sit atop the North Zone table on 12 points, Malick holding first position on account of a superior goal difference. Fatima moves up to third with 6 points from their four games, and QRC slips to fourth with 3 points from their three games to date.

QRC next faces Diego Martin Secondary at home on Saturday 22nd.

QRC 1

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St. Anthony’s 2

Any number of reasons can be extended for going down to St. Anthony’s at home. The St. Anthony’s players were, on average, half a head taller than the Royalians. The visitors were less tentative to the ball and did more to control possession for most of the game. The St. Anthony’s players did a better job at attracting the officials’ attention in 50-50 situations. The referee, by reports a QRC old boy, was overcompensating in order to appear “fair”… at least until he got banged in the back hard by a QRC defender…

In the first half, and part of the second, our boys were generally slower to the ball and not as committed in tackling as were the St. Anthony’s players. They also appeared somewhat uncomfortable in both 18-yard boxes. Indeed, QRC had at least two opportunities to open the scoring against the run of play. In one instance, after a fine piece of work up the wing, the ball bobble lazily across the St. Anthony’s goal mouth, begging to be toe-poked into the net.

In similar circumstances, St. Anthony’s no. 23 made no such mistake, tapping a ball home from a yard in front of the goal.

St. Anthony’s second item came from a free kick just after the start of the second half which slipped through the QRC wall and just past the diving keeper.

It took until about 25 minutes to time for the Royalians to turn up the intensity on the visitors. Indeed, had they played the entire game at this level, St. Anthony’s would have been put on the back foot and likely onto the seats of their pants. The increased tempo and determination was clearly unsettling, and led eventually to QRC’s loan item – a beautiful trap, drag and shoot from National Under-15 player Jerrel Britto.

Several plays could have ended in the equalizer and eventually go-ahead goal. The team’s best effort though came at the end of a clash between the St. Anthony’s keeper and a big striker wearing no. 5, that saw the ball whiz just wide.

The team’s performance can possibly be chalked up to first-game jitters, having to face the College’s new nemesis so early in the season. But the pressure the boys applied at the end of the game bodes well, and can be a sign of things to come.

QRC now sits third on the league table with 3 points from two games, behind Malick and St. Anthony’s. Both of those teams have full points from their three games to date. Fatima College sits fourth on the table, also on three points, but that from three games and with an inferior goal difference of minus-4.

UPDATE (2007-09-18): For photos of the game, click in the frame below.

2007-09-15 — QRC 1 vs St. Anthony's 2

This year’s season kicked off with a resounding three-nil victory over Trinity College on September 8th. In waterlogged conditions at Moka, the Royalian team found better footing, took the advantage on the host’s ground and seized the day.

On Saturday 15th, the Boys in Blue host rivals St. Anthony’s College in what will be their first major test for the season. The Westmoorings Tigers have already claimed two scalps, taking Mucurapo Senior Comprehensive 3-1 in the season opener and despatching Fatima College by the same score at home.

North Zone League Fixtures and Logo courtesy SSFL.org