In a reduced 70 minute contest held at the National Track and Field Centre, Leonora yesterday, West Demerara giants Pouderoyen and Den Amstel battled to a 1-1 stalemate in a brusing pre-season affair.
Head coach of Pouderoyen FC, Travis Bess, during a post-match comment said, “The team played in moments and below par in terms of the possession. Defensively we were not sound but on the brighter side EJ Mars has stepped up in the last two games and looks to be a promising player for the future. Overall playing against an Elite League team we got a draw which is good, but we would have been pushing for the win.”
Contested under overcast conditions, Pouderoyen fresh off their 5-4 victory against Harriett FC on Sunday at the same venue, almost took the lead in the third minute, but s Keanu Lawrence corner kick was parried over the crossbar by the diving custodian.
Lawrence made his presence felt once again in the 13th minute, forcing a smart save from the goalkeeper low to his right, after latching onto a loose ball inside the left of the penalty box.
However, it would be Den Amstel that would get onto the score sheet first in a fortuitous manner following a goalkeeper error in the 26th minute.
A corner kick from the right side of the field was poorly misjudged by goalkeeper Sherwin Wills, as he failed to catch the ball which struck his chest and nestled into the right corner of the net, much to the disappointment of his teammates.
The conversion provided the impetus for the Den Amstel side who almost doubled their advantage six minutes later through Kevon Ward.
Racing into the left of the penalty box following a counter attack, Ward uncorked a powerful shot which forced a brilliant save from custodian Wills to his right.
Den Amstel maintained their momentum in the second half with Malcolm Dainty unleashing a powerful strike in the 52nd minute from the left of the 18-yard area, which showstopper Wills denied with his legs.
Nonetheless, EJ Mars restored parity to proceedings with a brilliant individual effort in the 64th minute. Latching onto a pass from the left side, Mars uncorked a right footed lobbed effort from outside the centre to box, which sailed over the head of the opposing goalkeeper and settled into the right corner.
Pouderoyen is scheduled to resume their preseason fixtures with a clash on Friday against Agricola Red Triangle
