Heavyweight matches will commence the start of the eighth round in the GFF Stag Beer Elite League when leaders, Slingerz FC tackles fifth-placed Pele and third-positioned Alpha United opposes second-place Fruta Conquerors today at the Leonora Facility.
The opening fixture between Alpha ‘the Hammer’ United and Fruta Conquerors at 18:30hrs is expected to be a keenly fought affair as both sides possess similar standing and numbers. While ‘the Hammers’ secured two 2-0 wins in the earlier showdowns, the previous meeting ended 1-1.
A breakdown of the statistics show that Alpha United possess the second best attacking line up, with 17 goals registered in their seven fixtures led by the impressive cast of Daniel Wilson, Colin Nelson, Delon Lanferman, William Europe, Dwight Peters and Anthony Abrams.
However Fruta Conquerors fires back with equally impressive numbers going forward as they have also recorded 17 goals in the campaign. The skillful combination of Shaquille Agard, Jahaal Greaves, Okeene Fraser, Jamal Codrington, Hubert Pedro, Eon Alleyne, Jermin Junior and Dennis Edwards have made the Tucville team a side to fear.
On the defensive end Alpha United has seen better results due to the combination of Alex Murray, Quincy Madramootoo, Colin Nelson, Joshua Browne and Solomon Austin, with only five goals conceded which is good for the second best record.
On the other side, the Tucville giant lays claim to the third best record in this regard as they have surrendered only eight goals through their rearguard personnel of captain Trevon Lythcott, Rafael Edwards, Adrian Adonis, Derrick Carter, Reshawn Sandiford, Delon Williams, Travis Martin and Dwayne Lindie.
Meanwhile, the feature contest of the night at 20:30hrs will pit the undefeated Slingerz FC against the underperforming Pele unit. While this matchup is often considered a pivotal meeting in the race for the top spot, the contrasting positions and form of the teams removes some of the lustre.
With a record of seven consecutive wins alongside a superior head-to-head count of two wins and a draw, Slingerz enter the fixture as the firm favourite. The first showdown witnessed a 1-1 result while the second and third fixtures ended with Slingerz prevailing via a 3-0 and 1-0 score lines respectively.
In terms of the numbers, Slingerz are a daunting proposition with the best offensive and defensive records. In the seven matches played thus far, Slingerz have recorded an impressive 20 goals. The likes of Julian Wade, Vurlon Mills, Tichard Joseph, Devon Millington and Trayon Bobb have been the reason for the scoring rates.
Defensively, Slingerz have been even better with only two goals conceded thus far compliments of a formidable backline featuring Kester Jacobs, Quincy Adams and Les Charles Critchlow.
On the other side, Pele have simply struggled throughout the event, with four losses already incurred to date. To compound the situation, their talisman Gregory Richardson will not be available due to suspension.
This will greatly affect the threat of a struggling offensive line consisting of Omallo Williams, Konata Manning, Ronel Gordon and Travis Grant that has only scored four times, which is the joint worst. On the defensive end, it has not been much better with 10 goals already shipped in, five of which came in their most recent loss to Alpha United.
The winner of the League Finale round will pocket $4,000,000 while the second, third and fourth-place teams will collect $2,000,000, $1,000,000 and $500,000 respectively. Similarly, the point’s leader prior to the knockout stage will pocket an additional $1,000,000.
The season champion will then be crowned when the winner of the League Genesis and League Finale respectively face off in a single matchup. That winner will then earn an automatic berth at the CFU level.
If the winner of the League Genesis and League Finale rounds are the same team, they will earn the automatic CFU spot, with the second berth going to the team with the most accumulated points in both rounds non-inclusive of the eventual season champion.
Current Points Standings
Team GP W L D GF GA GD Pts
Slingerz 7 7 0 0 20 2 +18 21
Fruta Conquerors 7 5 1 1 17 8 +9 16
Alpha United 7 4 1 2 17 5 +12 14
GDF 7 3 2 2 11 12 -1 11
Pele 7 2 4 1 4 10 -6 7
Buxton United 7 1 4 2 5 10 -5 5
Monedderlust 7 0 4 3 4 16 -12 3
GFC 7 0 6 1 6 21 -15 1
