| Country | Trinidad and Tobago | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | 32 | ||
| Champions | Caledonia AIA | ||
| Runner-up | W Connection | ||
| Matches played | 31 | ||
| Goals scored | 132 (4.26 per match) | ||
| Top goal scorer(s) | Atiba McKnight (6) | ||
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The 2008 FA Trophy was the 79th season of the FA Trophy, which is the oldest football competition for teams in Trinidad and Tobago. The tournament took place at the conclusion of the 2008 season. W Connection entered as the tournament's defending champion.[1] The tournament began on 3 December, with 32 teams competing in single elimination matches.
With the quarterfinal round to begin, there were five Pro League and two Super League clubs, and Dathea Copious Suns from the Northern FA Premier Division remaining in the competition. However, after the round had concluded only WASA, who defeated Dathea Copious Suns, remained from outside the top flight.[2] Caledonia AIA needed extra time to defeat St. Ann's Rangers (PL)[3], Defence Force stunned San Juan Jabloteh 2–1[4], and W Connection put out giant-killers FC Phoenix to advance to the Semifinals.[5]
W Connection made quick work of Super League side WASA to end their run in the competition by putting up eight goals.[6] Caledonia AIA defeated Defence Force 4–2 to make it back-to-back Final appearances.[1]
The Trophy concluded on 17 December with Caledonia AIA claiming their first Trophy by defeating W Connection at Marvin Lee Stadium in Macoya, Trinidad 3–2 after extra time.[7] Atiba McKnight claimed the title of the Trophy's leading goal scorer with six goals for W Connection on their way to the Final.
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The tournament features teams from the top three levels of the football pyramid. These three levels and 8 leagues, namely the Pro League, National Super League, CFA Super Six League, EFA Premier Division, Eastern Counties Football Union, NFA Premier Division, SFA Championship Division, and the Tobago FA 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 the 2008 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 have qualified for this year's edition of the FA Trophy:
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| Round | Date | Matches | Clubs | New entries this round |
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| Round of 32 | 3 December 2008 |
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| Round of 16 | 7 December 2008 |
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| Quarterfinals | 10 December 2008 |
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| Semifinals | 15 December 2008 |
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| Final | 17 December 2008 |
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All matches were played over two 45 minutes 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 the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation was made on 24 November 2008 at its head office in Port of Spain, Trinidad with ties played on 3 December 2008. The only Pro League match-up featured United Petrotrin against North East Stars. All Pro League clubs advanced easily into the Round of 16 with a combined scoreline of 28–2.[8] With the withdrawal of Trinidad and Tobago U-20, Charlotteville Unifiers was the lone survivor facing competition from a higher division.
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The draw for the Round of 16 took place on 4 December 2008 and involved the 16 winning teams from the Round of 32. These were from the following levels:
Matches in the Round of 16 were played on 7 December 2008. FC Phoenix and WASA provided the Trophy's first two upsets over Pro League clubs by putting out Joe Public and North East Stars, respectively.[9] Another surprise from the round was that Dathea Copious Suns defeated T&TEC to be the lone representative from the third level of the pyramid in the Quarterfinals.
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The draw for the Quarterfinals took place on 8 December 2008 and involved the 8 winning teams from the Round of 16. These were from the following levels:
Matches in the Quarterfinals were played on 10 December 2008.
| 10 December 2008 | San Juan Jabloteh | 1 – 2 | Defence Force (PL) | Marabella, Trinidad | ||
| 17:00 (UTC-4) | Peltier 4' | Report | Carter 18', 59' | Stadium: Manny Ramjohn Stadium |
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| 10 December 2008 | W Connection | 3 – 0 | FC Phoenix | Macoya, Trinidad | ||
| 17:00 (UTC-4) | Santos 44' Isaac 82', 85' |
Report | Stadium: Marvin Lee Stadium |
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| 10 December 2008 | Caledonia AIA | 4 – 1 | St. Ann's Rangers (PL) | Marabella, Trinidad | ||
| 19:00 (UTC-4) | Armstrong 68' Joseph 95' Theobald 106' Moore 116' |
Report | McFarlane 60' | Stadium: Manny Ramjohn Stadium |
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| 10 December 2008 | WASA | 5 – 2 | Dathea Copious Suns | Macoya, Trinidad | ||
| 19:00 (UTC-4) | Faure 4', 43', 64' Brooks 57' Stoute 90' |
Report | Gillard 52', 67' | Stadium: Marvin Lee Stadium |
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The draw for the Semifinals took place on 11 December 2008. It consisted of Caledonia AIA, Defence Force, and W Connection from the Pro League and WASA from the National Super League. The Semifinal matches took place at Marvin Lee Stadium on 15 December 2008.
| 15 December 2008 | W Connection | 8 – 1 | WASA | 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 |
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| 15 December 2008 | Defence Force (PL) | 2 – 4 | Caledonia AIA | Macoya, Trinidad | ||
| 19:00 (UTC-4) | Jorsling 7', 13' | Report | Velox 10', 53', 75' Moore 65' |
Stadium: Marvin Lee Stadium |
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The Final was played at Marvin Lee Stadium in Macoya, Trinidad on 17 December 2008. The match was contested by Caledonia AIA, who beat Defence Force 4–2 in their semifinal, and W Connection who beat WASA 8–1. Caledonia AIA used a goal late from Conrad Smith to level the match at two each in the 82nd minute.[10] After the match ended 2–2 in regulation, Caledonia AIA used the momentum and produced a goal from Jameel Perry in the 108th minute to give Caledonia AIA their first FA Trophy title.[7]
| 17 December 2008 | Caledonia AIA | 3 – 2 | W Connection | Macoya, Trinidad | ||
| 19:00 (UTC-4) | Moore 34' Smith 82' Perry 108' |
Report | Smith 29' McKnight 37' |
Stadium: Marvin Lee Stadium |
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