| Trinidad and Tobago Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Country | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Teams | 32 |
| Defending champions | Joe Public (PL) (2) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Caledonia AIA |
| Runners-up | W Connection |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 31 |
| Goals scored | 132 (4.26 per match) |
| Top goal scorer | Atiba McKnight (6 goals) |
The2008 Trinidad and Tobago FA Trophy was the 79th season of theFA Trophy, which is the oldestfootball competition for teams inTrinidad and Tobago. The tournament took place at the conclusion of the2008 season.Joe Public entered as the tournament's defending champion.[1] The tournament began on 3 December, with 32 teams competing in single elimination matches.
The tournament featured teams from the top three levels of thefootball pyramid. These three levels and 8 leagues, namely theTT Pro League,National Super League, Central FA's Premier Division, Eastern FA's Premier Division, Eastern Counties' Football Union, Northern FA's Premier Division, Southern FA's Premier Division, and Tobago FA's Premier Division, each have their own separate qualification process to trim their ranks down to their final team delegations.
The top eight finishers in the Pro League for the2008 season all qualified for the competition. In addition, the top eight finishers from the Super League also qualified. However, only three clubs from 4 of the 6 regional football associations were awarded qualification into this year's edition, with the Eastern Counties and Northern FA as the exceptions as they only received two.
The following clubs qualified for the 79th edition of the FA Trophy:
| TT Pro League 8 teams | National Super League 8 teams | Regional FA Leagues 16 teams | |
| Central FA – Premier Division Eastern FA – Premier Division Eastern Counties – Football Union | Northern FA – Premier Division Southern FA – Premier Division Tobago FA – Premier Division | ||
The schedule for the 2008 FA Trophy, as announced by theTrinidad and Tobago Football Association:
| Round | Date | Matches | Clubs | New entries this round |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | 3 December 2008 | 16 | 32 → 16 | 32: 1st–32nd |
| Second round | 7 December 2008 | 8 | 16 → 8 | |
| Quarterfinals | 10 December 2008 | 4 | 8 → 4 | |
| Semifinals | 15 December 2008 | 2 | 4 → 2 | |
| Final | 17 December 2008 | 1 | 2 → 1 |
All matches were played over two 45 minute halves, and in the process if the match were drawn at the end of regulation time, then two additional 15-minute halves were used, and if necessary, penalty kicks if still drawn after extra time.
The draw for the most prestigious knockout tournament held by theTrinidad and Tobago Football Association was made on 24 November 2008 at its head office inPort of Spain, Trinidad with ties played on 3 December 2008. The onlyPro League match-up featuredUnited Petrotrin againstNorth East Stars. All Pro League clubs advanced easily into the second round with a combined scoreline of 28–2.[2] With the withdrawal ofTrinidad and Tobago U20,Charlotteville Unifiers was the lone survivor facing competition from a higher division.
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The draw for the second round took place on 4 December 2008 and involved the 16 winning teams from the first round. These were from the following levels:
Matches in the second round were played on 7 December 2008.1976 FC Phoenix andWASA provided the Trophy's first two upsets overPro League clubs by putting outJoe Public andNorth East Stars, respectively.[3] Another surprise from the round was thatDathea Copious Suns defeatedT&TEC to be the lone representative from the third level of thepyramid in the quarterfinals.
| Tie no | Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Ann's Rangers (SL) | 0–5 | St. Ann's Rangers (PL) |
| 2 | Defence Force (PL) | 6–1 | Queen's Park |
| 3 | 1976 FC Phoenix | 2–2 | Joe Public (PL) |
| 2–2 after extra time – 1976 FC Phoenix won 4–2 on penalties | |||
| 4 | Charlotteville Unifiers | 0–7 | San Juan Jabloteh |
| 5 | Caledonia AIA | 9–0 | Harvard |
| 6 | Malick Togetherness | 0–6 | W Connection |
| 7 | WASA | 3–3 | North East Stars |
| 3–3 after extra time – WASA won 5–4 on penalties | |||
| 8 | T&TEC | 1–2 | Dathea Copious Suns |
The draw for the quarterfinals took place on 8 December 2008 and involved the 8 winning teams from the second round. These were from the following levels:
Matches in the quarterfinals were played on 10 December 2008.WASA remained the only club from outside theTT Pro League to advance to the semifinals after defeatingDathea Copious Suns.[4]Caledonia AIA needed extra time to defeatSt. Ann's Rangers (PL),[5]Defence Force stunnedSan Juan Jabloteh 2–1,[6] andW Connection put outgiant-killers1976 FC Phoenix to advance to the semifinals.[7]
| 10 December 2008 | San Juan Jabloteh (1) | 1–2 | Defence Force(1) | Marabella, Trinidad |
| 17:00 (UTC-4) | Peltier 4' | Report | Carter 18',59' | Stadium:Manny Ramjohn Stadium |
| 10 December 2008 | W Connection(1) | 3–0 | 1976 FC Phoenix (2) | Macoya, Trinidad |
| 17:00 (UTC-4) | Santos 44' Isaac 82',85' | Report | Stadium:Marvin Lee Stadium |
| 10 December 2008 | Caledonia AIA(1) | 4–1 | St. Ann's Rangers (1) | Marabella, Trinidad |
| 19:00 (UTC-4) | Armstrong 68' Joseph 95'Theobald 106'Moore 116' | Report | McFarlane 60' | Stadium:Manny Ramjohn Stadium |
| 10 December 2008 | WASA(2) | 5–2 | Dathea Copious Suns (3) | Macoya, Trinidad |
| 19:00 (UTC-4) | Faure 4',43',64' Brooks 57'Stoute 90' | Report | Gillard 52',67' | Stadium:Marvin Lee Stadium |
The draw for the semifinals took place on 11 December 2008. It consisted ofCaledonia AIA,Defence Force, andW Connection from thePro League (1) andWASA from theNational Super League (2). The semifinal matches took place atMarvin Lee Stadium on 15 December 2008.
W Connection made quick work ofSuper League sideWASA to end their run in the competition by putting up eight goals.[8]Caledonia AIA defeatedDefence Force 4–2 to make it back-to-back final appearances.[1]
| 15 December 2008 | W Connection(1) | 8–1 | WASA (2) | Macoya, Trinidad |
| 17:00 (UTC-4) | Santos 2' McKnight 5',64',86'Isaac 15',74'Smith 46'Leon 88' | Report | Brooks 66' | Stadium:Marvin Lee Stadium |
| 15 December 2008 | Defence Force (1) | 2–4 | Caledonia AIA(1) | Macoya, Trinidad |
| 19:00 (UTC-4) | Jorsling 7',13' | Report | Velox 10',53',75' Moore 65' | Stadium:Marvin Lee Stadium |
The final was played atMarvin Lee Stadium inMacoya, Trinidad on 17 December 2008. The match was contested byCaledonia AIA, who beatDefence Force 4–2 in their semifinal, andW Connection who beatWASA 8–1. Caledonia AIA used a goal late fromConrad Smith to level the match at two each in the 82nd minute.[9] After the match ended 2–2 in regulation, Caledonia AIA used the momentum and produced a goal fromJameel Perry in the 108th minute to giveCaledonia AIA their firstFA Trophy title.[10]Atiba McKnight claimed the title of the Trophy's leading goal scorer with six goals forW Connection on their way to the final.
| 17 December 2008 | Caledonia AIA(1) | 3–2 | W Connection (1) | Macoya, Trinidad |
| 19:00 (UTC-4) | Moore 34' Smith 82'Perry 108' | Report | Smith 29' McKnight 37' | Stadium:Marvin Lee Stadium |