A Delroy Fraser 120th minute goal marred Laing Avenue’s 4-3 quarterfinal win over West Ruimveldt when the Grassroots Inter-Ward Knockout Tourney continued on Monday at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground, Bourda.
With the scores locked at 3-3 in final moments of the second extra time, Laing Avenue would score what would prove to be the winning goal.
An alleged handball outside the area by the Laing Avenue custodian would ignite the issue. Raising his flag to notify the referee of the alleged infringement, the linesman however, would be overruled by the official, who allowed play to continue.
Laing Avenue would then quickly capitalise on the decision, scoring on the counterattack in the dying seconds through Fraser.
The resulting goal would trigger a raucous protest by the West Ruimveldt players who pointed to the earlier handball infraction and questioned the official as to the reasons why the linesman’s call was not upheld.
With only a few seconds left in the game, West Ruimveldt would refuse to continue the matchup upon the request of the officials, thus allowing Laing Avenue to secure their spot in the semi-final stage.
Their refusal to accept the referee’s decision and leave the playing area would also bring a halt to proceedings as the second matchup between Charlestown and Wortmanville was cancelled.
Previous to the ensuing chaos, Joshua Britton would give West Ruimveldt the early lead in the 30th minute through a right footed strike into the lower left hand corner from within the right side of the penalty area.
Jerome Richardson would level the score line in the 58th minute with a strike to the left hand corner from just outside the left upright, after latching onto a deflected shot by the opposing shot-stopper.
West Ruimveldt would retake the lead in the 75th minute as Colin Nelson etched his name on the scorer’s sheet, powering his left footed 25 yard volley from the centre of the field under the body of the keeper and into the lower right hand corner.
However Delroy Fraser would force the matchup into extra time in the 90th minute, placing his right footed effort into the right hand side of the net, following a right sided cross from a freekick.
A terrible goalkeeping error one minute later would then give Laing Avenue the lead as a regulation right sided cross from a Eusi Phillips free kick, went straight through the hands of the West Ruimveldt goalie and settled into the right hand side of the net.
It would go from bad to worse for the West Ruimveldt unit five minutes later as Britton was shown a straight red card for striking a Laing Avenue player.
Nonetheless, West Ruimveldt would grab the equaliser through horrible goalkeeping blunder by the Laing Avenue custodian in the 106th minute.
Upon moving the ball off the mark to begin the period, Devon Millington would attempt an audacious right footed effort from just over the half way line, which comically went over the head of the goalkeeper and into the net, after hitting his hands in his attempt to parry the danger.
The aforesaid controversy would then erupt in the final moments as Fraser netted with a sublime lobbed right footed effort over the advancing goalkeeper from just outside the right side of the penalty area, following the dismissal of the handball infraction seconds earlier by the official.
