After a prolonged absence from the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Elite League, Slingerz Football Club is within five matches of returning to the highest level of club football locally.
On Wednesday night, Slingerz were drawn in Group C of the GFF’s Elite League Promotional Playoffs competition. At the drawing, Stabroek News Sports picked the brain of Slingerz coach Charles Pollard.
Quizzed about his thoughts on the draw, Pollard said, “It is a good one; it’s a playoff; it’s a level playing field; and we are excited to be at this stage.”
The Vergenoegen-based outfit was drawn alongside Dartmouth (Essequibo/Pomeroon) and Winners Connection (Upper Demerara). On the other hand, Group A comprises Buxton Stars (East Coast Demerara), Beacons (Bartica), and Monedderlust (Berbice), while Group B contains Tabatinga (Rupununi), Herstelling Raiders (East Bank), and Beacons (Georgetown). Matches are pencilled for Saturdays at several venues, including Eve Leary, Rosignol, Bartica Community Centre, Buxton Ground, Wisburg Secondary School Ground, Tuschen, Anna Regina Multilateral, and Wadapna.
At the conclusion of the round-robin section, the respective group winners and the best second-place finisher will progress to the semi-final segment. The knockout aspect will be played on a home-and-away basis.
The eventual winner of the playoffs will seal an automatic entry to season six of the Elite League, while the losing finalist will face the Victoria Kings (who were in 9th place in the previous Elite League’s season) for another shot at Elite League status.
Touching on the possibility of getting back to Elite League action, a league that Slingerz has won before, Pollard revealed, “That has been our objective from day one. In the West Demerara Football Association league, we were not in our best stride, but as the days go along, we continue to build our momentum”.
While Slingerz boasts an impressive line-up, Pollard is cautious about being overconfident. “We have good personnel, but we all know teams on paper don’t win games”.
