By Duncan Saul
It might not be the usual evening Christmas Day menu but tonight’s matches of the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) Banks Beer Cup knockout competition could be just what the doctor ordered for football fans in Guyana.
In the opening game at 6pm Black Pearl Football Club will take on the Guyana Defence Force while two hours later another military team the Guyana Police Force Football Club will take on Linden side Netrockers.
Peter Gulliver, Black Pearl’s coach, feels his charges will give a good account of themselves and might even pull off the upset when they open their campaign against the GDF.
“Preparations have not been the best owing significantly to the weather,” he said.
“We have been training hard and can pull off the upset against the more fancied team,” Gulliver added.
He stated that his team does not possess the pedigree of the GDF unit adding that realistically, his team’s chances are slender but expresssed the hope that through hard work his charges can prevail.
“I am copiously aware of the ability of the army. They are a championship team evident by their number one seeding in the tournament but football is a strange game and on the day anyone can prevail. We are not an established club which automatically makes us underdogs but we are a good team with good players and will give our best come kick off time,” Gulliver declared.
Meanwhile, Marlon Washington, coach of the Guyana Police Force Football Club finds himself coming up his former team. Washington, a former national table tennis player, also coached Netrockers for several years when they participated in the annual Kashif and Shanghai tournament.
Now, Washington’s team aims to win the GFA/Banks Beer Cup.
“We can go all the way,” stated Washington emphatically in a recent interview with Stabroek Sports at the Eve Leary Training Ground in Kingston.
He informed this publication that preparations have been going pretty well and said that the inclement weather has not affected his team’s planning.
“Preparations have been going according to plan, the weather – something we have no control of has not affected my team’s cause and we will be ready come opening whistle. We are currently encamped, facilitating our mission of training twice daily which helps support our drive to be victorious come kick off time.”
He said that realistically his charges have a great chance to win it all and can match up with any team on the practical, technical and intangibles of the game.
“Physically we are a match for anyone. Mentally, technically and tactically we can hold our own which in turn makes us a very dangerous unit. We have a young team with emphasis on building for the future and making GPFFC a force in the football fraternity. Our opening encounter is a tricky affair against a dangerous Net Rockers team out of Linden. We will leave no stone unturned in our consummate preparatory program, with our sole focus on winning come game time”.
GPFFC kick off their GFA/Banks Beer Knockout campaign against Net Rockers at 8pm on Tuesday 25th (Christmas Day) at the GCC ground Bourda.
