By Calvin Roberts
A Ron Collins double (7th and 79th) guided East Coast Demerara Victoria Kings to a 4-2 victory over Corentyne All Stars in a match which brought down the curtains on the Rose Hall Town week of activities Sunday afternoon.
Playing at the Rose Hall Community Centre ground, Collins received support from Horris Graham (12th) and Dewayne Stephens (29th) which ensured a youthful looking Kings walk away with their second victory of the weekend after being invited by the organizers who wanted to improve the standard of football in the Corentyne area.
Kings displayed superior technique and ball control and should have won by a larger margin had Donald Lutchman and Seon David make good use of the opportunities presented by Trevor Fraser and Kurt Adams.
But Collins who was hungry for football, displayed his ability to score goals when he beat the All Stars custodian with a well placed left foot shot after Lutchman and Andrew Holder had opened up the opposition defence with their speed and agility.
Five minutes later, it was Graham’s turn to place his name on the scorer’s sheet when he headed home a cross from Fraser who was having a good day in the field for Kings, especially with his overlapping runs. Stephens found the back of the net in the 29th minute following a gem of a pass from Adams in the centre and for some it was all over for Corentyne All Stars.
But the home team who arrived 30 minutes late for their 16:00hrs engagement, continued to demonstrate a never-say-die attitude against their opponents, injecting fresh legs into the game minutes after the third goal.
They were rewarded when Samuel Williams was brought down just outside the 18-yard box by Kings defender Ellis Skeete. The ensuing free kick which was taken by Richard Da Silva was not gathered cleanly by Kings under-20 custodian Marlon Gillis which permitted the striker to pounce on the loose ball and slam it home for his team.
The score showed 3-1 in favour of Kings who will be engaging Bakewell Buxton Stars in the East Coast Sub-Association Mackeson Stoute League on Thursday, but it was Corentyne who continued to press forward as they sought to eliminate the gap between themselves and their opponents.
They inched closer towards that goal two minutes later, when the flat-footed Gillis was beaten with a well placed shot from inside the 18-yard box, which ensured Corentyne All Stars entered the break, trailing Kings 3-2.
The second half was one of intense football, as both teams sought to snatch the initiative from each other, with Kings replacing Gillis with Marlon Marks, while Everal Mundy, Ronden Laferman and Calvin De Souza replaced Stephens, David and Graham respectively.
Collins continued to enjoy a good day for Victoria Kings, and followed his double against a Corentyne Combined team which Kings won 2-1, with his second in the 79th minute which sealed the game for the Kings, and also knocked the wind out of the Corentyne All Stars sails.
After the game, Kings coach Andre Huntley told Stabroek Sport that he was pleased with his team’s performance to a point, while highlighting the poor finishing by some of his players.
“I am pleased with the performance of the team, even though our finishing was not up to standard. I am happy for Collins who is finding form, but I would like to see the other players converting the opportunities that presented themselves. Nevertheless, I am pleased with the team’s overall performance as this will serve as a warm-up for our encounter with Bakewell Buxton Stars on Thursday.”
