Basseterre, St. Kittsu2014The stage is now set for the Final Four Playoffs in the SKNFA Premier League, with four teams officially securing their places at the conclusion of an exciting and historic regular season.
Advancing to the playoffs are MFCR Old Road United Jets, Azul Cayon Rockets, Honda Newtown United, and Development Bank St. Peters. In a significant shift in the local football landscape, neither St. Paulu2019s United nor Rams Village Superstarsu2014two of the most dominant clubs in St. Kitts and Nevis over the past decadeu2014have qualified for the Final Four, marking a notable turning point in the competition.
MFCR Old Road United Jets lead the playoff field after capping a sensational campaign with a 3-1 victory over St. Paulu2019s United. Tiquanny Williams netted twice in the 58th and 84th minutes, while Nejohn Browne added a third to seal the win. The result confirmed an extraordinary milestone for Old Road, who completed the entire regular season unbeatenu2014the first team to do so in the Premier League era since Garden Hotspurs in 2009.
Azul Cayon Rockets also sent a strong message heading into the playoffs with a commanding 4-0 victory over Honda Newtown United. Karique Knight scored a brace, with Ronald Williams and Mervin Lewis also finding the net. The result saw Cayon leapfrog Newtown into second place on goal difference, a positioning that could prove crucial in the playoff stage.
Development Bank St. Peters secured the final playoff spot with a 4-2 victory over Dieppe Bay Eagles. Kareme Simmonds led the attack with two goals, supported by Tyquan Terrell and Aiden Nurse. Despite the win, Head Coach Wayne Phillip expressed mixed feelings about his teamu2019s performance. u201cI want to congratulate the team on the winning. Although Iu2019m very much disappointed in the results, I think the guys didnu2019t show their guts and their capabilities because we know what theyu2019re capable of and I didnu2019t feel that they gave the fight that theyu2019re supposed to,u201d Coach Phillip said.
In other results from the final weekend, Rams Village Superstars closed their campaign with a 4-1 win over Bath United, while Sandy Point and Conaree played to an entertaining 3-3 draw.
Rams Village Superstars Head Coach Jeffrey Pedro Hazel reflected on his teamu2019s season: u201cI think we would have done pretty well for the season. Some objectives were achieved,u201d Coach Hazel said. u201cWe have ourselves in this position, basically. There are some games we knew that we should have won. We either drew them or we lost. So we have to work on our game management. Thatu2019s something that we definitely have to work on and keep going,u201d he added.
For Bath United, who have been relegated to Division 1, Head Coach Alex Claxton remained focused on future improvements: u201cAt the end of the day, itu2019s two issues: scoring more goals. We had opportunities that we should have put away …. this is what we need to do going forward,u201d Claxton said.
With history already made during the regular season, attention now turns to the Final Four Playoffs, which begin on Saturday, May 2, at the National Bank Group Technical Center.