Hill named Pro League Coach of the Year Lincoln Phillips praises Pro League
By IAN PRESCOTT
Sunday, April 4th 2004

The highlight of the year for CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh came when they
defeated American Major League Soccer (MLS) US Cup champs Chicago Fire 5-2
in a CONCACAF Champions Cup first-leg quarter-final match last month. Here,
hat-trick scorer Cornell G

ENGLISHMAN Ricky Hill has been named Coach of the Year by the Trinidad and
Tobago Pro League.

The announcement was made on Friday night when the professional football
league held their 2003 season awards at the Centre of Excellence, Macoya.

Hill, a former England player, had a triumphant first year coaching in
Trinidad and Tobago in which he led CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh to a
succesful defence of the league title and also captured the FCB Cup and
$25,000 winners' purse from Vibe CT 105 W. Connection.

Under Hill, Jabloteh also became Caribbean football champions for the first
time in 2003 and they also reached the quarter-final stage of the CONCACAF
Club Championship, where they achieved an historic high point by beating
American Major League Soccer (MLS) US Cup champions, Chicago Fire, 5-2 in
the first leg.

However, Chicago were able to overturn the deficit with a 4-0 home victory
to win the tie 6-5 on aggregate.

Taking the other major award on Friday was Charles "Lily" Pollard, a
Guyanese defender who plays for FA Trophy holders North East Stars.

Pollard beat out all-comers to capture the senior Most Valuable Player award.

While Jabloteh were lauded for winning the senior league championship, the
most successful club on the night was the Savonetta-based W. Connection who
swept the youth division awards.

Connection's much talked about youth programme produced champions in the
Under-15, Under-17 and Under-20 divisions of the T&T Pro League.

Connection also produced the top goal-scorers in all three youth divisions.

Aaron Downing was the deadliest marksman in the Under-15 Division with 35
goals for the season, while their Gorian Highley got 16 goals among the
Under-17 footballers. Highley, who also plays for Arima Senior
Comprehensive, was earlier this year named the Most Valuable Player by the
Secondary Schools Football League.

Jason Marcano, who had a few games in Connection's senior squad last
season, was the youth division's Most Valuable Player.

Marcano scored 34 among the Under-20 players to become the top marksman in
that division.

At senior level, Guyana's Randolph Jerome notched 26 goals for North East
Stars, the most in the Pro League.

While Marcano and company were best at scoring many goals, the fastest goal
for 2003 in the T&T Pro League came off the boot of Jabloteh defender Ian
Gray.

While his Jabloteh teammates joked it was probably an own-goal, Gray
himself could hardly remember when he scored it. The strike came within the
first two minutes of play in a fifth-round match.

Giving the feature address at the awards ceremony was newly-installed
Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation technical director Lincoln "Tiger"
Phillips.

Having lived in the United States for 27 years, the former Howard
University goalkeeper and American professional said his greatest
contribution as T&TFF technical director will be in developing coaches and
players.

"The game of football is about players. If we have no players...if we don't
develop the players, we have no game," he commented.

Phillips was also high in praise for the T&T Pro League and champions San
Juan Jabloteh, whom he said gave an excellent account of themselves in the
CONCACAF Champions Cup first-leg match against Chicago Fire.

"The whole of the United States was shocked," he said, while explaining
that the Americans would have never expected their champions to lose to a
team from this country.

"The United States have no respect at all for football in Trinidad and
Tobago. Very disrespectful," said Phillips.

He also called for total inclusion in the selection of T&T national teams
and for a return of the days when "Indian" and "white" players also
represented Trinidad and Tobago.

At Friday's function, Pro League chairman Larry Romany also recognised the
importance of Jabloteh winning their first-leg game against Chicago Fire
and the effect it will have on the 2004 T&T Pro League season.

Romany said the public is finally becoming aware of the high quality of
football being played in the Pro League and in 2004 the organisation will
be introducing many of their stars to the public through a marketing
programme.

The T&T Pro League's 2004 season begins next Sunday and runs until December.