Latest update November 26th, 2024 1:00 AM
Alpha aiming to go all the way, third time around
Howard Lowe
By Franklin Wilson
Guyana’s top club side, Alpha ‘The Hammer’ United is aiming to go all the way to the CONCACAF Club Championship Finals having been entered in the Caribbean Football Union Club Champions Cup for the third time.
Head Coach Wayne ‘Wiggy’ Dover believes that the club has the necessary artillery to do better than ever. First time around (2009), the undisputed local champions lost to Tempete FC of Haiti in the first round home and away fixture; last year (2010) Alpha advanced to the second stage which was held in Trinidad and Tobago but did not make it past this round.
Dover is confident that with more time available to prepare, Alpha will be much more formidable this time around.
In the first round draw, Alpha, were down to play Bassa Sports Club of Antigua and Barbuda but the latter club has since pulled out of the tournament which has given Alpha passage to the second round which is scheduled for April 12-14 and 22-24 (home and away) based on the fixtures released by the CFU.
But unconfirmed reports suggest that there might yet be some more changes to the format and fixtures.
Alpha however has already commenced training and like Milerock the other club from Guyana competing in this tournament, they have commenced training with conditioning work.
They started last week at the National Park and are currently training at the Georgetown Football Club Ground in the afternoons.
Dover, arguably, one of Guyana’s most successful coaches ever, notes that the management of the Club and the Technical staff will be pulling out all the stops to ensure that they do Guyana and themselves proud this time around.
“I feel very confident that we will do much better this year. While we will be taking it one game at a time, our aim is to qualify firstly for the CFU finals from where we will move on to the CONCACAF finals.
Wayne Dover
This is not an improbable or unattainable task; we have the players who can do it for us, we will expose them to the necessary training and equip them to perform the job.”
Along with Dover, Coach Gavin Brown has been taking the players through their paces.
Alpha has been dominating on the local scene for the past four to five years and their President Odinga Lumumba is of the view that it is time for his side known as the local ‘Manchester United’ to make an impact at the Regional level.
Captain Howard Lowe and some of his tested, tried and proven teammates will be tasked with the responsibility of guiding the local champs yet again. Lowe seems very focused and ready for the task at hand and has been very hard leading by example at the training sessions.
Dover extended good luck to Milerock FC in their quest to also do Guyana proud in this their first time in the CFU Club Champions Cup.
“I would like to wish them well and to encourage the Technical staff and players to train hard so that they can take care of business against the Suriname side they will be hosing next month.”
The first game of the home and away tie against Suriname’s
Intermoengotapoe will be contested on Sunday March 13 at the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground, Linden.
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