Victoria Kings and Ann’s Grove Football clubs outdid their opponents Golden Stars and Georgetown Football Club (GFC) respectively in two tough battles as the East Coast Football Reunion got underway at the Victoria Ground, East Coast, on Friday.
Kings, on their home ground defeated GFC 4 – 1 on penalties after being deadlocked 1 – 1 at the end of regulation and extra times in the feature match of the evening while Ann’s Grove won 3 – 2 against Golden Stars in the curtain raiser.
In the VK/GFC battle, the home side got off to a terrific start and dominated ball possession in the first 45 minutes where they took the lead going into half time.
Rolston Morrison drew first blood for his team when he buried the ball in the back of the goal in the 39th minute after receiving a cross from Kwesi DeSouza on the left flank.
The second half resumed with GFC needing just one goal to equalize and they duly got it in the 70th minute from a clinical Peter Parks finish.
Neither team was able to score before regulation time or in extra time which drove the battle into a penalty shoot out.
Chad Fernandes was the only GFC player to score as three of his team mates were not able to sink their opportunities while Kings’ Andrew Holder, Clayton Wilson, Aubrey Gibson and Donald Lutchman successfully scored their kicks to take their team into the next round.
Ann’s Grove’s nail-biting victory gained over Golden Stars had spectators at the edge of their seats.
The first half concluded with teams tied 1 – 1.
Kewsi Halley scored as early as the 10th minute for the Stars and Oswald Duke answered back seven minute later.
The final 45 minutes saw Trion Trotman regaining the lead for his team and the opposition pushed them selves back into the game through a Dwayne Rogers 67th minute goal.
GS’s Randy King was ejected from the game when he received his second yellow card of the match in the 78th minute to leave his side with a squad of 10. Grove exploited the situation as much as they could and gained the winning goal five minutes to the final whistle compliments of Duke who recorded his second goal.