HAVING defeated two of Guyana’s powerhouse teams in local football, namely BK International Western Tigers and reigning National club champions Alpha ‘The Hammer’ United, Buxton United were given an incentive by president of the latter club, Odinga Lumumba.

At a simple presentation held at the Quamina and Carmichael Street-based Sports Plus Store, Lumumba handed over $600 000 worth of equipment to the East Coast Demerara-based team ahead of tonight’s final, adding that a further $400 000 cash would be handed over should they get past Amelia’s Ward United and win the 23rd edition of the Kashif and Shanghai Football Tournament.
“I am from Buxton and I must say that Buxton United played well to beat my team Alpha United last Saturday night. They deserved the victory and even though my team lost, I still won as I am from Buxton, hence my support to them today, for which I must add that once you lift the trophy tomorrow (tonight), you will receive $400 000 more in cash,” said Lumumba.
Buxton United’s skipper Dwayne Jacobs thanked Lumumba for his donation which included boots, net and uniform, calling it a timely one for the team, adding that they all knew he is from Buxton and has not forgotten the team, saying it will serve as motivation.
In an invited comment with Chronicle Sport, Jacobs said he expects his team to continue working hard, in order to come out victorious in tonight’s final, creating history along the way.
“Before this tournament started, we planned to work hard to reap success. To date, that has been our aim, as we have been working hard as a group to ensure we come out victorious, especially after being placed in a group of death.
After defeating Western, a nervous feeling enveloped the guys, knowing that we were going up against Alpha, my former team,” said Jacobs.
He added, “I asked them to remain focused, stick to the game plan and I will deliver the rest and that’s exactly what they did, marking Alpha’s danger man Dwight Peters out of the game, while I worked overtime to give us the win.”
Even though they are going into tonight’s contest as the favoured team to win, Jacobs warned his teammates not to be complacent and take their opponents from the mining town too lightly, since complacency can lead to destruction.
“We know we have created history in this tournament, by defeating two of the teams who were favoured to win the title. While it is a good feat, I need the players to remain focused since the job is not over as yet. We have to go on to win the title on New Year’s Day (tonight) and create history not only for ourselves, but the community.
“Yes the guys will be confident, but I don’t want them to get complacent, as that will lead to destruction before we even kick a ball in the final. I will try my best to ensure they remain focused, so we can go out there as a group and get the job done,” stated Jacobs.
Prior to the final which kicks off at 21:00hrs, Alpha and Pele will meet in the third place playoff that is scheduled to start at 18:00hrs, while Jamaican reggae/dancehall artiste Mavado is expected to thrill the thousands with his lyrics in the after-final show at the same venue.