PELE HUMBLE SANTOS, GROVE HI TEC SEND MILEROCK PACKING

Dec 15, 2009 Sports

…as 20th Kashif & Shanghai competition kicks off in style

Grove Hi Tec goalie Dexter Archer being brought into actionin the first half against Milerock on Sunday afternoon. (Franklin Wilson photo).

By Franklin Wilson
Defending champions Pele FC sent a stern warning to all and sundry when they clinically disposed of old rivals Santos FC 4-1 in the feature game on the opening night of the 20th Kashif and Shanghai (K&S) Football tournament at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence on Sunday night.
Watched by the greatest footballer on planet earth, King Pele – who was the special guest of the K&S Organisation for the opening ceremony – the defending champions needed only a 17 minute span to take care of Santos and in the process they booked a place in the quarter finals.
USA based forward Gregory Richardson and strike partner Marvin Joseph sharing the goals equally.
The competition got off to a stupendous start for debutants Grove Hi Tec who needled the much more experienced Milerock FC, John Matthews scoring the winner 11 minutes to game time.
Displaying familiar flamboyance and flair like old times, Pele wasted no time in imposing their will on the Santos unit which looked out of sorts in the opening half. Santos was guilty of allowing the reigning champs way too much space in midfield and the attacking third, the yellow and blue side capitalizing on the Santos lapses to finish with pin point accuracy.
The effectiveness of Travis ‘Zorro’ Grant and his Captain Dirk Archer in midfield complimented by solid defending, allowed the strike duo to execute their work upfront with aplomb.
Richardson it was who sent Pele on their way eight minutes into the game when he capitalized on some poor work by goalkeeper O’Neil Heywood whose advance to clear the ball was half hearted as it tipped over his outstretched right arm, Richardson running on to tap the ball into the goal.
Two minutes later it was ‘Jackie Chan’ again as Pele increased the pressure on their opponents.
There was somewhat of a respite for Santos, who up to this point were still not playing as a unit.
On 22 minutes, Mervin Joseph got into the goal scoring act when he nailed a well taken shot past Heywood. Three minutes later the score was 4-0 nil, thanks to another well executed shot by Joseph. The margin of defeat could have easily been much more were it not for some poor finishing.
Santos though, created a few chances of their own but they were not able to convert. The second half of play saw them {Santos}playing much more compact and with purpose. The fact that Pele could not penetrate their defence with the same ease as the first told the story.
They were able to pull one back in the 73rd when Peter Parks’ shot sailed past custodian Shemroy Arthur.
The opening game saw an intense battle between winners of the first ever K&S tournament Milerock and Debutants Grove Hi Tec. But when the final was whistle was blown, the debutants erupted in celebrations having come out victors by the lone goal of the clash which was scored by John Matthews.
Milerock did dominate the new comers in the early stages but as the game matured, the Lindeners became more and more frustrated while the East bank side grew in confidence. Grove defended in numbers and they were equally sound in offence.
President of Grove Hi Tec Clive Matthews said he was very pleased with the performance of his young team. Matthews said when the game was 45 minutes old and Milerock were not able to score, he knew that game was theirs.
“I want to congratulate the boys for doing well and I know that we will represent. We are not over confident but will take it one game at a time.
This result means a lot for us on the East Bank and I hope that it will serve as motivation for all the young players in this Association.”
Grove’s next fixture is a tough challenge as they will face Alpha ‘The Hammer’ United on Saturday at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground in the feature game.
The tournament will continue tomorrow at the GFC ground with another double header where two more teams will surely walk the plank.
West Demerara’s Seawall United takes on Linden’s Rusal in the curtain raiser from 18:00hrs with the main event between Fruta Conquerors and another Linden side, Eagles United.