Western Tigers sent a stern warning to the remaining participants as they roared past Buxton United 10-0 to open their KFC Elite League campaign on Tuesday evening at the Guyana Football Federation National Training Centre, Providence.
The contest was effectively over at the halftime interval as the West Ruimveldt outfit stormed to a 3-0 lead. Andrew Murray opened the proverbial floodgates with a fourth-minute conversion. This was followed by an 11th-minute strike, as Murray secured his brace. Trayon Bobb then got into the scoring act with a 15th-minute effort.
However, the worst was yet to come, as an additional seven goals were recorded in the second stanza. Randolph Wagner bagged a double in the space of four minutes to push the score to 5-0. The wily forward netted in the 53rd and 57th minutes.
New recruit Chai Williams then etched his name on the scorer’s sheet in the 66th minute, while veteran forward Anthony ‘Awo’ Abrams made his presence felt in the 77th minute as the score ballooned to 7-0.
The introduction of Jermaine Beckles led to another two conversions, as the forward found the back of the net in the 83rd and 90th minutes, respectively. Williams then completed the score line as he sealed his double in the 90th+2 minute.
Charles ‘Lily’ Pollard, head coach of the Western Tigers, said during a post-match comment, “I told them it’s a league, a marathon. We need to build confidence, momentum, and fitness. After four to five games, we are supposed to hit our stride because there are a lot of things I want to change, and most of these guys have never been coached properly, so information is very critical to them.”
He further said, “I don’t think the opponent had the same quality as us, but we are lacking in personnel on the team. We are missing about four players. Players like William Europe and Cecil Jackman have injuries. Cecil could be our trump card in this league; he is a quality player that brings leadership to the backline.”
Meanwhile, Anns Grove dismissed the Fruta Conquerors 3-0. The tournament continues today at the same venue with a single fixture. The Guyana Police Force will match skills with Den Amstel at 19:00 hours.
The contest will conclude with the first round of matches in the competition. The winner of the tournament will receive $2,000,000, while the second, third, and fourth-place finishers will receive $1,200,000, $800,000, and $500,000, respectively.
Complete Results
Western Tigers-10 vs Buxton United-0
Andrew Murray-4th and 11th
Randolph Wagner-53rd and 57th
Jermaine Beckles-83rd and 90th
Chai Williams-66th and 90th+2
Trayon Bobb-15th
Anthony Abrams-77th
