Guyana Police Force [GPF] edged newcomer GT Panthers by a 2-1 score line to seal their final’s berth in the Stag Beer ‘Revival Cup’, yesterday at the Georgetown Football Club [GFC] ground, Bourda.
Witnessed by a by a small gathering, goals on either side of halftime ensured the lawmen punch their ticket to the finale, which will be hosted at the same venue Sunday.
Defender Steffon Ramsay and forward Deon Rodney found the back of the net in the 37th and 70th minute respectively while Sherral Daniels briefly equalised in the 57th minute.
Coach Sheldon Bobb of GT Panthers during a post-match comment said that his side will lodge a formal protest with the organizers.
According to Bobb, the duration of the match was reduced to 80 minutes in regulation time instead of the traditional 90 minutes. Also the referee of the game is a police officer.
Efforts to gather a comment from the coordinators proved futile.
The contest, which did not possess the atmosphere of a high profile meeting, could be described a disjointed and cagey as several mistimed passes and crunching tackles highlighted the majority of the first half.
Nevertheless, the lawmen snatched the opening goal after spurning several previous opportunities, as unlikely defender Ramsay made his presence felt.
The goal emanated from a corner kick which was poorly dealt with by the rearguard. Lurking inside the centre of the box, Ramsay latched onto a botched clearance, only to volley a left foot strike clinically into the lower left corner.
This lead was maintained heading into the halftime interval despite the Panthers crafting several opportunities.
Upon the resumption, Daniels would make his presence felt as he netted a brilliant individual effort which was aided by poor defending by the backline.
A hopeful lobbed pass from the halfway mark, was misread by the lawmen, whose defensive quartet allowed the ball to drop inside the 18 yard area into the path of the onrushing Daniels from the left wing, who evaded the goal-keeper and slotted into the lower left corner.
The conversion brought the game to life and gave GT Panthers the belief that they could secure the unlikely result.
However, their hopes of a final’s appearance would be extinguished as Deon Rodney recorded the go-ahead winner.
Racing away from his marker following a through pass, the burly Rodney uncorked a powerful right foot strike from outside the penalty area, which nestled into the bottom right hand corner.
Meanwhile, up to press time, the second semi-final fixture between Fruta Conquerors U20 and GFC was underway.
Complete Results
Game-1
GT Panthers-1 vs GPF-2
GPF Scorers
Steffon Ramsay-37th
Deon Rodney-70th
GT Panthers Scorer
Sherral Daniels-57th
