Victoria Kings defeated their neighbours Golden Stars 2-1 while defending champions BV/Triumph United had to stave off a strong challenge from Ann’s Grove before securing a 1-1 draw when action in the East Coast Demerara/Mackeson Stout-sponsored premier league football competition continued Thursday night at Plaisance Community Centre ground.
After going down to Bakewell Buxton Stars in their previous game last week, a resurgent Kings unit took to the field against their lesser known opponents and controlled the game with their usual pace which left the Golden Stars defence bemused.
From that momentum came the first of two goals for Kings as Orin Elias dribbled his marker and headed the ball past an advancing Preston Clarke in goal for Golden Stars in the seventh minute but Golden Stars muffed an opportunity to equalize when Quacy Halley missed a left foot scorcher shortly after.
Speed, skill and great ball control were the order of the day following the Kings’ opening goal as they attacked their opponent’s goal repeatedly forcing Clarke to pull off numerous saves.
Golden Stars were aided by some poor finishing by the Kings’ strikers on occasions but Kings still managed to make it 2-0 when skipper and playmaker Andrew Holder converted a beautiful cross from Samuel Blackette that beat a hapless Clarke on his last post.
This goal again seemed to rejuvenate the Kings who should have made it 3-0 but Seon David, who has been out of touch lately, flew the off side trap and sent his shot over the bar.
Three minutes later David again missed another goal scoring opportunity when his header from a corner kick went wide much to the dismay of his team’s supporters who began calling for his immediate substitution.
A lacklustre Golden Stars unit got the opportunity to regroup thereafter and duly found the back of the net when Akini Cameron beat the Kings’ custodian with a well-placed shot to his right in the 40th minute.
A change of custodian for Golden Stars who replaced Clarke with the veteran Owen Adonis added some spark to their lineup as the latter effected some brilliant saves in desperate situations which kept his team in the game.
He first displayed his craftsmanship when he pulled off a brilliant save from a Horace Graham free kick taken from 25 yards out which was followed by another save this time from a Calvin De Souza shot in the 60th minute which elicited a roar from the crowd.
Golden Stars pressed their opponents but were unable to score and the game ended with a 2-1 win for the Kings.
In the feature game of the night’s double header a determined Ann’s Grove team put defending champions BV/Triumph United on the back foot throughout the encounter.
BV’s forward Junior Price missed 95% of his team’s scoring opportunities in the 10th and 35th minutes when faced with one-on-one situations with Ann’s Grove custodian Elton Adams, who was a worthy customer between the uprights for his team.
And, BV/Triumph’s Yonel Price should have sent his team into the lead just before the half time whistle but his shot to an open goal with Adams way out of the picture went high over the bar.
After an action-packed first half in which both teams pushed each other to the limit with some positive football, no damage was done to the score sheet.
In the second half, it was Ann’s Grove who took the lead when Gavin Adams found the back of the net after latching onto a cross from Dwayne Rogers which Linden Dennis, the BV/ Triumph United custodian, failed to hold onto in the 52nd minute.
The hard-working Delroy Deen, who was a member of the national Futsal team that participated in Trinidad earlier this year, was a tower of strength for his team at the top but he was not given the opportunity to create any plays by the sturdy defence of Ann’s Grove led by Quincy Adams, Levon Adams, Victor Solomon and Kevin Adams.
Deen got the opportunity to let loose one of his trademark rocket-like shots which brought oohs and aahs from the crowd following a poor clearance from Gregory Dorris who had replaced Kevin Adams, but his effort went wide.
But Deen was not to be denied and when the hard-working Kenneth Beveney weaved his way down the left wing and sent a gem of a cross into the path of the lanky striker, his shot left the Ann’s Grove custodian Elton Adams bewildered.
BV Triumph had levelled the score in the 85th minute and when referee Walston Martin sounded his whistle to signal the end of play, the defending champions breathed a sigh of relief.
Buxton United with eight points are still sitting comfortably at the top of the points table, two points ahead of Victoria Kings and BV/Triumph United respectively.
Their village teammates Bakewell Buxton Stars, whom they will face tomorrow, are next in line with five points along with Ann’s Grove.
Mahaica Determinators (4 points), Plaisance United and Golden Stars (3 points) and Black Stallion (1) complete the points table in that order.
