…..Alpha United clash with Slingerz FC

By: Ras Wadada
THE enviable title of National Football Club Champions will be finally settled tonight at the Leonora Park ground when rivals, Slingerz FC and Alpha United, contest the grand finale of the Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF) Stag Elite League competition for 2015-16.The two sides meet again at the said venue after last Sunday’s finale resulted in victory, via a penalty shoot-out, for Alpha to capture the second phase of the 2-tier Tournament. It was a reverse of the first phase final which was won by Slingerz last year November, hence they now clash in the final showdown to determine Guyana’s top football club.
The West Demerara-based unit displayed their superiority in both phases of the two rounds of matches in the 8-team competition that each culminated with two semifinals and a final involving the top four finishers. In fact, the loss in the 2nd Phase final to Alpha was the first defeat, on the pitch, for Slingerz in the history of the inaugural Elite teams’ competition.
The win by the Wayne Dover coached side to force a decisive game, now being labelled as the ‘Champion of Champions’, has boosted the confidence of the Alpha side going into tonight’s encounter.
The Joseph ‘Bill’ Wilson coached Slingerz team is undaunted and eagerly looking forward to the meeting with one thing on their minds – revenge.
At a Press briefing last Friday, Dover told the Media that after losing the Genesis final to Slingerz, he was always aware that to retain the team’s status as the country’s number one side it would take three games and that is what he has prepared his charges for and they are on course to complete that objective.
Alpha won the shoot-out in the early minutes of Monday morning, thanks to the brilliance of Goalkeeper Richie Richards and the clinical finishing of Captain Dwight Peters, Andrew Murray Jr. and Delon Lanferman. Richards denied all attempts by Captain Tichard Joseph, Murilo Barbosa and Devon Millington.
The ‘Champion of Champions’ match-up was originally slated for Camp Ayanganna but had to be switched back to the smaller Leonora ground due to persistent rains. Also expected to return to the Slingerz line-up is national midfield/forward Vurlon Mills who was out with a knee injury in the Alpha win.
Mills’ presence surely would add to the team’s Creative and Technical skills and could make a difference. He is, however, fortunate to get a final bite at Alpha since the game and Championship should have ended in regulation time, but Captain Joseph struck the cross bar from the Penalty mark. After 120 minutes of play and no goals, Penalties were taken to decide who will pocket the G$4M first prize.
There will be no monetary reward for this one, only the Title of club supremacy in Guyana’s football. Both coaches have assured that fans will be in for another intense game but sounded doubtful about another penalty shoot-out.
The action will kick-off at 18:00 hrs with a feature match between Western Tigers and Den Amstel FC.