K&S Football Extravaganza…Delightful encounters on the cards in semi finals tonight

Dec 30, 2011 Sports

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By Michael Benjamin
His special touch and shrewd training techniques have been largely responsible for the advancement of Guyana’s football team, the ‘Golden Jaguars’, into the third round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Brazil 2014.
On Thursday evening last, Head Coach of the local squad and Coach of T&T Pro League side Caledonia AIA, Jamal Shabazz, proved that he is still into the business of winning when he piloted his team to a hard fought 3-1 triumph, stripping Victoria Kings of all royalty while setting up a potentially thrilling semi-final encounter with Linden’s Milerock FC at the National Stadium Providence tonight.
That match will be the second of an explosive double header that also features tournament favorite Pele against another Linden powerhouse, Amelia’s Ward United.
Both winning teams have signaled intentions of lifting the championship trophy and first prize of One Pound of Guyana’s prestine Gold when they emerged victorious in their respective quarter final encounters at the Betterverwagting Community Centre Ground, Wednesday evening last. The team that christened itself after the world famous Brazilian footballer Edison Arantes do Nascimiento, AKA Pele, dished out a 3-1 drubbing of Milballers FC of Bartica to advance to tonight’s penultimate enocounter in search of the championship. Mervyn Joseph opened Pele’s account with a well calculated shot in the 58th minute of the game which underlines the roubust effort that was being put in by Milballers on a windy night.
Pele barely had time to savor the lead when Conrade Smith, a guest player from the Twin Island Republic, earned a free kick just outside the 18 yard box and swiveled the ball around the wall contrived by the Pele team, the ball ended up in the back of the nets past an out of position Pele custodian, Shawn Johnson, 64 minutes into the game.
That success proved to be the only one for Milballers as second half substitute Sheldon Holder collected a dolly from Devon Millington and weaved his way to Milballers’ goal. He could consider himself lucky after several attempts to breach the opposition’s goal were thwarted by their defense in what could be described as a comedy of errors.
Finally, after several attempts, Holder managed to tap the ball past the opposition’s custodian in the one minute to full time.
Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson who had been kept quiet all evening was finally able to display his football smarts when he lured the opposition’s defense into a false move resulting in a foul just inside the box, the subsequent penalty was put away with ease by the dapper striker in the 3rd minute (93) of added on time.
Caledonia AIA’s goals came off the boots of Tevin Caesar in the 11th minute, Jamal Gay (53) and Captain Walter Moore in the 78th minute. Winston Pompey saved some face for Victoria Kings with a goal of his own on the stroke of half time which drew the scores level.
To their credit however, the Kings, one time champions (2001/2002) did give a very good account of themselves playing very robust bnall from the onset but were outmanovered for Caledonia who are aiming to emulate their fellow T&T clubs, Docs khelawlaas (1998/1999) and Joe Public (2006/2007) in winning Guyana’s most perstigeous football tournament.
In Wednesday night’s match-up, the Trinidadian strikers looked ominous from the onset and obviously would enter tonight’s game with similar veracity and ambitions, of course they will enjoy a better surface.
They are also riding high after humiliating New Amsterdam United 10-1 in Christmas Day clash played in the Ancient County of Berbice. Gay’s contribution in that match came in the 18th, 59th and 70th minute while Caesar also proved his worth with a similar number of strikes in the 5th, 20th and 48th minute.
With such a fiery force Caledonia AIA will take to the field as the firm favourites and brimming with confidence.
Their ambitions of championship glory will be severely tested by an equally robust Milerock unit that will roll over and die. Their determination and skill was evident in an earlier faceoff with Seawall FC.
The strike force of Randolph ‘Blackhead’ Jerome, Elder Stateman Charles ‘Lily’ Pollard and Alestor Johnson teamed up to send the Seawall lads packing 2-0. Then there is Kendell Jagdeo Singh, a guest player out of Trinidad and Tobago.
He had endured fluctuating fortunes in the Seawall FC game when his only success was deemed offside. Several minutes later, while in the opposition’s goal with no challenge, the Trinidadian’s strike sidled alongside the opposition’s right goalpost. Obviously, he would be keen to repair those damages and tonight’s game presents just the right opportunity against opposing players that he is familiar with playing against in the Pro League.
Milerock FC was the first title holders of the prestigious accolade in the 1990/91 edition after defeating Eagles United. They repeated that feat in the 1997/98 edition against Pele and have not reached the finals ever since. Can they upset the rampaging Trinidadian squad and move on to higher accomplishments? Only time will tell.
Tonight’s opening salvo will also be an intruging match-up with the Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ led Pele which also boasts the likes of Travis ‘Zorro’ Grant, the Canada based duo of Julien Edwards and Kanata Manning, Dirk Archer and Shawn Johnson aiming for another championship after having won in 2008/2009.
Their opponents, Amelia’s Ward United will be no pushovers as they too are harbouring thoughts of claiming the top prize and their bedut championship.
The scene is set for two enthralling battles and fans are in for a great treat. Tonight’s action gets underway as 18:30hrs sharp.

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