New Road Eagles remain unbeaten as action continues tonight

NEW ROAD Eagles continue to impress and remain the lone unbeaten team in the inaugural Ansa McAl/Stag Beer-sponsored West Side 5-A-Side football tournament when the action continued last Wednesday night at the Vergenoegen Rice Mill Tarmac. It was only the second night of the competition which kicked off last Friday at the aforementioned venue and scores of people turned out to show support for their respective village.
Seven games were carded for the night and in the fifth game of the evening, Paul Rodney’s goal in the 10th minute was enough to help guide New Road Eagles to a 1-0 win over Showtime.
It was an intense game and one in which Showtime have only themselves to blame for the loss, given the fact that they had squandered several goal-scoring chances, even after Rodney found the back of the net for the eventual victors.
Ashley Harding in an effort to prevent Rodney from doubling the lead in the 17th minute committed a blatant foul as the player was on a clear path of the goal, for which he got a straight red card from the referee and acknowledged the booking, even though his teammates were protesting his sending-off.
Meanwhile, Tuschen Up-Top-Youths, one of the pre-tournament favourites, secured an entertaining come-from-behind 3-2 win over Jetty Gunners.
Jetty Gunners’ Shane Boyce and Shawn Williams had scored in the first and eighth minute respectively to take an early lead, but John ‘Brown Boy’ Waldron scored the first of two goals in the 9th minute to begin a compelling comeback.
Waldron’s second goal came four minutes later to level the scores then Devon Millington scored the winner three minutes before the end of regulation (17th minute) to secure the much-needed win for the Tuschen team.
Meanwhile, Broad Street were more fortunate than their fellow city side ‘Future’, who were booted from the tournament after failing to get out of the group.
In the first game of the evening, Broad Street lost 1-2 to Showstoppers, but rebounded to defeat Future 1-0 in their second game.
Despite winning 1-0 over Showstoppers, a single goal difference ensured that ‘Future’ would not progress any further in the tournament.
Meanwhile the battle of the villages was taken to a whole different level when Vergenoegen All-Stars and Stewartville Gunners met in the final game of the evening.
The already large crowd quickly swelled as word got out that the two teams would be playing in the last game and the players certainly didn’t disappoint.
Vergenoegen, enjoying most of the crowd support by virtue of being the home team, took the lead in the 12th minute through Tyrone Lewis and seemed poised to come out victorious, before a persistent Stewartville team, cheered on by their vociferous supporters, ensured that the game ended in a draw.
Just as the Vergenoegen supporters began to exchange high-fives, thinking that a win was already in the bag, Marvin Henry hammered in the equalising goal in the 19th minute and the Stewartville supporters celebrated as if they had won the final.
The game between the two clear favourites leaves many to wonder what will actually happen if they are to meet in the final.
The action continues tonight at the same venue where several other teams will seek to book a ticket for the final on February 7 and take home the tournament’s first prize of $200 000.