BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – AN unrelenting downpour for 90 minutes did little to slow TDC/Suzuki Newtown United F.C. last night (May 29) at Warner Park as they defeated St. Peters F.C. 4-1 and regained the St. Kitts-Nevis Football Association’s Digicel Premier League Cup.
As time drew near for the kickoff of the game, rain began to fall in buckets and St. Peters wasted no time making the statement that they came prepared to avenge their 3-0 loss in the first game of the finals series.
From the first touch St. Peters executed their game plan and used a pair of quick passes to get the ball to Kirkland Harris, who broke free of his defender and launched a burner past the Newtown goalkeeper in the first 30 seconds of the match for a 1-0 lead.
The early advantage to St. Peters gave the small but passionate crowd at Warner Park an early indication of the fast-paced and hard fought match that awaited them. The rain made the ball very slick and as the first part of the half wore on, several areas of the midfield became dead due to standing water.
Newtown began to regain control of the match around the 20 minute mark when a clean strike from the top of the area was stopped on a controversial diving save by the St. Peters goalkeeper. Though the ball appeared to have crossed the goal line, it was ruled not to have counted.
The damage had been done to St. Peters’ momentum, however. Newtown hurried to inbound the ball quickly around minute 26 while St. Peters sluggishly got into position and the rushed pace paid off as Orlando Mitchum used a header to find the lower right corner of the net to equalize, 1-1.
St. Peters increasingly gave up the ball as the first half wore on and Newtown continued to pressure. In minute 30, Ian Lake surged upfield past the St. Peters defensive line for a one-on-one opportunity at the goal. The St. Peters goalkeeper rushed to meet Lake and tackle the ball before he could get the shot off, but a skillful flick allowed the Newtown striker to easily skate past him and find the back of the empty net.
The rain relented to a light drizzle after halftime, but Newtown showed much less sympathy as they continued to push the pace of the game, despite their 2-1 lead.
What St. Peters lacked in a coordinated attack they attempted to make up for in a fast-paced and physical match, but Newtown was rarely fazed and continued to open scoring opportunities.
The final goals of the game came nearly back-to-back in minutes 33 and 34 when Jason Isaac and Zevon Archibald both found the back of the net, respectively, for a final score of 4-1.
Tensions were high in the final minutes as Newtown received three red cards and some 14 fouls were called in the latter part of the second half. The aggravation turned to celebration, however, when the final whistle blew and Newtown was officially awarded their 15th Premier League championship, continuing their legacy as one of the most winning teams in SKNFA history.
With fireworks, confetti and music filling the air, the team and its large gathering of supporters at Warner Park celebrated well into the night having roundly proven that Newtown was largely without equal in the 2009-2010 season.
