GFF/Pele Alumni/Frank Watson Memorial National 2017/2018 Playoffs – Cluster 2...Eagles FC get past Timehri Panthers and Milerock to earn finals place

GFF/Pele Alumni/Frank Watson Memorial National 2017/2018 Playoffs – Cluster 2…Eagles FC get past Timehri Panthers and Milerock to earn finals place

Feb 04, 2019 Sports

By Franklin Wilson
West Demerara Football Association (WDFA), GFF/ Pele Alumni/Frank Watson Memorial 2017/2018 winners Eagles FC, the last team to qualify for the National Playoffs, have advanced to the Finals following after ending with a clean sheet when Cluster 2 of the Playoffs was contested yesterday at the GFF National Training Center, Providence, East Bank Demerara.

Eagles FC (red & blue) go 1-0 up against Timehri Panthers FC.

Coming up against East Bank FA champs Timehri Panthers and Upper Demerara’s Milerock, Eagles soared to wins over both opponents via a 2-1margin in the first instance and 3-2 via sudden death penalty kicks after the match ended 2-2 in regulation time.
Yesterday’s final match saw Timehri Panthers needling Milerock to end with a consolation with; missing a plethora of opportunities especially against Eagles and paying the price for their lack capitalizing on chances created.
But it was to be the Eagles’ day to fly high and that they did with glee, burying their chances when they came along. Telbert Baptiste was the star of the day for the West Demerara side as he scored three of the four goals they got in regulation time.
Despite missing the second kick from the penalty mark in the clash against Milerock, Baptiste’s earlier efforts were enough to propel the team, to a memorable win and their highest achievement to date as a club.
Eagles ran away 2-0 leaders against Milerock with Baptiste netting both in the 11th and 30th minutes respectively to end the first half (35 minutes) comfortably ahead. But their thoughts of celebrating after regulation time was not to be as Milerock fired in like manner when Travis James in the 55th and George Stephen in the 60th minutes evened things up.
Based on the competition rules, kicks from the penalty mark would be employed once matches end tied at the end of regulation time in order to determine the winner. At the end of the first five kicks each, the scores was tied 2-2 which meant that sudden kicks was necessary.

Iasmael Palsuram

Keshaun Smith nailed his shot for Eagles, but Milerock’s Ronaldo Peters sent his shot over the cross bar to spark wild celebrations by the Eagles Players as it sealed their passage to the National Finals on February 16th next at the same venue. They have now joined Santos FC which won Cluster 1 on Saturday and Tabatinga FC of the Rupununi FA.
Eagles had earlier yesterday, in the first match of the cluster against Timehri Panthers, won 2-1 on account of goals from Baptiste in the 11th and Jomaley Kellman in the 20th minutes. Tyrone Burnette pulled one back for Timehri in the 54th minute. The Panthers’ push in the final minutes of the match for an equalizer did not make the cut.
However, the East Bank champions did salvage some pride when they defeated Milerock in the final match of the day by the lone goal of that encounter which was scored by Iasmael Palsuram in the first half which was all that was needed to seal the win.
The GFF/ Pele Alumni/Frank Watson Memorial 2017/2018 National Playoffs train is now destined for the Cinderella County this Saturday when Cluster 3 would be decided when home team Dartmouth Determinators will seek to defend their turf against Region #1’s Atkinson Brothers and Bartica FA’s Rivers View.
All the action will unfold at the Anna Regina Community Center Ground from 10:30hrs on Saturday.

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