In what can be described as the biggest upset in the history of the tournament, Stevedore Ballers overcame West Front Road-Gold is Money 2-1, when the 7th Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Georgetown Zone continued on Thursday.
It was clear from the onset who the mammoth crowd at the Demerara Park was rooting for. With every pass from the youthful Stevedore unit, the crowd’s decibel level grew louder, building up to a crescendo which was eventually rewarded in the 17th minute, as Dorwin Filter slotted home from the right side of the field.
However Michael Pedro silenced the masses seven minutes later. It was timely goal for the unit known,
as ‘Gold is Money’, who simply were outplayed for the majority of the showdown. Pedro upon collecting a left side pass, rifled a first time finish from the right side into the bottom left corner, evoking celebrations from a small contingent of supporters.
Nonetheless, urged on by their faithful following, Keifer Brandt made his presence felt, as he grabbed what proved to be the winner in the 28th minute. The goal was reminiscent of Filter’s opener, with the diminutive forward racing onto a one-two pass combination on the left flank, before blasting pass the hapless Ola Pedro to send the crowd rushing onto the playing area.
Meanwhile Back Circle, 2011 champion punched their ticket to the group round after defeating East Front Road 1-0. Rising star Jermin Beckles separated the teams in the seventh minute as he slotted home from the right side following a two on one situation.
In other results, North East La Penitence defeated Island All-Stars-B 2-0 on penalty kicks, after normal time ended 0-0. Similarly, West Back Road edged Albouystown-B 2-1, on sudden death kicks following a scoreless regulation time interval.
Battle of the Ghetto tonight
The event resumes today at the Burnham Court, Parade ground, Middle Street with the group round of matches. At 19:00hrs, Camp Street All-Stars engage Stevedore Ballers while 2014 losing finalist Festival City Warriors battle Up Like-7 from 19:30hrs.
At 20:00hrs, 2014 champ North Ruimveldt matches skills with West Back Road, while 2012 winner Leopold Street lock horns with North East La Penitence from 20:30hrs.
The fifth and sixth showdowns of the evening will pit Back Circle against Tucville at 21:00hrs, and Bent Street against 2010 winner Broad Street Bullies.
In the final two matches, defending champion Sparta Boss tackles Channel-9 in a repeat of last year’s final, while 2013 titleholder Queen Street Tiger Bay clashes with 2008 & 2010 losing finalist Albouystown-A in the battle of the ghetto.
