Alpha United prevails in preparation for Caribbean Football Union championships

Mar 11, 2014 Sports

The Georgetown Football Club ground with its inadequate seating facility was bursting at its seams when the Vizion Sounds Entertainment group staged the final night of the Caribbean Inter-Club football competition Sunday evening last.
Two matches thrilled the fans starting at 19:00hrs when Buxton United faced off with Slingerz. The teams battled for all of 90 minutes followed by Alpha United against famed team, Boystown of Jamaica.

Gregory Richardson (left) battles with a Boys Town player on Sunday night at GFC.

The matches were entertaining and despite clear goal scoring opportunities, neither the Buxton United nor Slingerz FC could have pierced the other’s goal. That game was characterized by classic build ups with instances of rough play yet the two teams failed to score even as the clock ticked away the first session.
It was during the late exchanges when Jamal Harvey was fed a superb pass from the right flank. He went up but though his header was fierce, it lacked direction and the ball sailed over the crossbar less than one minute before the intermission.
The second session was a replica of the first with missed opportunities and roughhouse tactics. Strangely, the referee did not have to issue yellow or red cards though the game was played with ferocity even up to when the final whistle sounded with the score on nil all.
The Alpha United match was also entertaining but was characterized by missed opportunities as both teams battled furiously for supremacy. The first session ended nil all owing largely in part to tardy play and missed opportunities from both sides.
The wily Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson nearly broke the deadlock when he received a pass at the opposition’s berth at the southern end of the ground. Indeed it was a difficult angle and his shot unsurprisingly failed to find the target.
Kithson Bain was also unfortunate not to have scored after collecting a pass from Daniel Wilson; his effort was a mite too high and slammed into the crossbar. This trend continued and both teams went into the break, nil all.
The game continued with a high intensity as both teams fought valiantly to snatch the initiative. The difference came in the 69th minute when Boystown defender, Asrick Samuels attempted to clear the ball but Alpha’s Captain Dwight Peters skilfully intercepted and slammed home what was eventually the lone goal of the match.
Both coaches, Andrew Price and Wayne Dover, of the Boystown and Alpha squads, respectively, felt that the game was well fought and provided the kind of practice needed for their advancement in the Caribbean Football Union championships in Jamaica later this month.
“The match was competitive and offered valuable practice for my boys going into those matches,” said Dover. He intimated that his boys will be in action March 21, 23 and 25 against the T&T Defence Force, Harbour View FC and Notch FC of Suriname.
Mr. Price feels that the Alpha encounter provided valuable practice even as his team attempts to advance into the semi-finals and subsequently into the finals. “It was a good match,” he said of the Alpha encounter, “But we suffered more from our tardy play than anything else; more or less a defensive error,” he said. The Jamaican team leaves later today for their homeland.
Meanwhile, promoter of the event, Wally Fraser, said that he was satisfied that the tournament has served its purpose. He said that he was merely attempting to incorporate music into the sport to make it more enjoyable for the spectators and he feels that he has accomplished this goal.
The promoter is more noted for his shrewd handling of ‘First Born,’ a local musical group that has made immense strides in Reggae music. He said that his assessment of the success of the initiative hinges more on the reputation he was able to build judging from the remarks of patrons.
He said that the trend has caught on somewhat and already he has received calls from several local sports bodies to emulate the ploy. He said that he is now in discussions with an athletic club whose executives wish to emulate the strategy.