The fourth round of Saint Lucia’s hotly contested Semi-Pro Football League (SPFL) delivered two high-stakes, dramatic matches on Wednesday evening, played at the Francis Baba Lastic Grounds in Gros Islet. When the final whistles blew, relegation-battling Central Castries had secured their first victory of the season, and two-time defending champions La Clery had climbed to a share of first place in the league table.
The first clash of the night paired Central Castries, who had entered the fixture rooted to the bottom of the standings without a single point to their name, against Anse La Raye, the reigning Tier 2 champions. Delayed arrival at the pitch left Central Castries slow to find their rhythm in the first half, with both sides unable to break the deadlock heading into the break. But the capital-based side entered the second half with unshakeable determination to end their winless drought and hand the west coast Anse La Raye side their second defeat of the campaign.
The deadlock finally broke in the 66th minute, when Pernal William fired a powerful strike into the back of the net off a well-placed free kick from Bennerero Wellington, putting Central Castries up 1-0. Anse La Raye responded quickly, drawing level seven minutes later after Erick Gabriel converted a penalty to tie the match. Yet just a minute after equalizing, Gabriel found himself under intense defensive pressure from Wellington and accidentally diverted the ball into his own net, gifting Central Castries a 2-1 win and their first three points of the season.
The upset result lifts Central Castries out of last place, moving them up to ninth in the overall standings. They now sit just above Mabouya Valley, which remains the only club in this year’s tournament yet to secure a victory.
In the evening’s second feature match, two-time back-to-back title holders La Clery faced off against hosts Gros Islet, delivering a clinical performance to claim a 2-0 win that catapults them to joint first place on the league table.
Much like the opening fixture, the first half of La Clery’s clash against Gros Islet remained scoreline, as both defenses held firm against repeated attacking pushes. It was not until the 60th minute that La Clery broke through, when Yanic Noel slotted home a shot from just outside the six-yard box. The goal came off a seamless sequence of tight, precise passing between Mervin St Romain and Erickson Magloire, who carved open the Gros Islet defense to set up Noel’s game-opening score.
Gros Islet threw players forward in the final half-hour, launching repeated attacks in search of an equalizer, but could not bypass La Clery’s star goalkeeper Devone St Prix, the reigning Footballer of the Year, who turned away every attempt on goal. As the match entered fourth-minute stoppage time, Baggio Edward sealed the three points for La Clery with a deft lob over Gros Islet goalkeeper Emmerson Biscette, pushing the final score to 2-0.
With the loss, Gros Islet remains mired just above the relegation zone. After four matches, the side holds just a single win and three points, sitting ahead of Central Castries only by a slim margin of goal difference.
Looking ahead, the SPFL’s second-tier Super League is set to continue its slate this coming Friday, returning to the Francis Baba Lastic Grounds for a matchup between Micoud and Choiseul. Over in the top-tier Premier League, fans will see a highly anticipated clash between Dennery and Vieux Fort North, two of the four remaining unbeaten teams in the 2026 tournament.