Relative newcomer GT Panthers secured their berth to the 4th annual Limacol Football Championship, defeating Eastveldt 2-1 in a Playoff Encounter on Wednesday.
Staged at the Ministry of Education ground, Carifesta Avenue, Eastveldt got off to the perfect start as they broke the deadlock in the 25th minute.
The lead proved to be short lived as Joshua Anthony equalized in the dying moments of the first period, slamming his effort into the back of the net in the 40th minute.
The result remained unchanged heading into the halftime break. However Anthony made his presence felt once more to secure the vital lead, as he etched his name on the scorer’s sheet in the 70th minute.
The GT Panthers rearguard would then thwart every attempt by the Eastveldt strike force to clinch the equalizer to seal the victory.
The event will continue today at the same venue with another doubleheader. Buxton Stars will tackle Georgetown Football Club [GFC] from 19:00hrs while Fruta Conquerors u20 will match skills with North Rangers at 21:00hrs.
On Sunday at the same location, Riddim Squad will take aim at GT Panthers from 19:00hrs while Camptown will battle Grove Hi-Tech from 21:00hrs.
The event which features 16 clubs from Georgetown, East Coast of Demerara, East Bank of Demerara and West Demerara, will conclude during the month of September.
The teams will be divided into four groups of four, with the top two finishers from each pool progressing to the knockout round.
Group-A comprises Santos u20, Camptown, Black Pearl and Grove Hi-Tech while Fruta Conquerors u20, Buxton Stars, GFC and Northern Rangers make up group-B.
On the other hand, group-C features Riddim Squad, Pouderoyen, Eastveldt and Beacons, with group-D containing Dynamic FC, Mahaica, Police-B and Pele.
Winner of the event will pocket $400,000 and the championship trophy, while the second, third and fourth place finishers will collect $200,000, $100,000 and $50,000 respectively.
