Alpha, Buxton head points standings
ALPHA `The Hammer’ United and Buxton United head the points standings in the Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF) `Win in CONCACF with CONCACAF’ Super League which continued on Sunday with five more matches at different venues.
The defending champions Alpha United of Georgetown edged East Demerara’s Victoria Kings 3-2 to claim three points, taking them to six points overall in the competition.
Buxton United, who, like Alpha United, also won their opening game when the competition got under way on February 28 at the GCC ground, defeated Georgetown’s Sunburst Camptown 2-1 on Sunday last at the Enmore ground and in the process, secured a further three points, taking them to six like Alpha United.
At Bartica, the home side Liquid Gold thrashed Upper Demerara’s Topp XX 3-0 while at the Wales Community Centre ground, Milerock of Linden edged Seawall FC of West Demerara 1-0 and GDF of Georgetown and Rosignol United of Berbice played to a 1-1 draw.
In the Alpha United versus Victoria kings match, Dwain Jacobs netted a double in the 56th and 77th minutes while Shawn Bishop supported with a 70th minute goal. Seon Robinson responded for Victoria Kings in the 36th and 69th minutes.
Clive Andries and Robin Phillips scored for Buxton United in the 45th and 78th minutes respectively, in their 2-1 win against Sunburst Camptown whose lone goal came off the boot of Lance Rawlston in the 88th minute.
Up at the Bartica Community Centre ground, Leon Canterbury netted a double in the 62nd and 69th minutes and Mark Richards a single in the 78th minute to give the home side (Liquid Gold) a 3-0 win against five-time Kashif and Shanghai champions Topp XX.
At Wales Community Centre, Milerock of Upper Demerara edged Seawall FC 1-0 through a defence error on the latter’s part.
Warren Gilkes was on target in the 67th minute for the GDF side in their 1-1 draw with Rosignol United whose goal came off the boot of Clifford Campbell in the 70th minute.
The competition will continue next Sunday with five more matches at different venues.
Alpha United and Buxton are both on six points each. Sunburst Camptown, Milerock, Liquid Gold and Topp XX all have three points each while Rosignol United have one point and Seawall FC and Victoria Kings are pointless.
According to Administrative Director of the league Kirk Douglas, the league would be conducted on a two-round home-and-away tie basis with the top eight of the 10 participating teams contesting a knock-out competition at the end of the first round and will involve the same 10 teams that contested the inaugural FIFA-sponsored tournament last year and will be played on a two-round basis with the top eight teams advancing to a knock-out stage after the first round is completed. The winner of that stage will be declared knock-out champions.
The eight teams will then contest a second round and the top four teams will contest another knock-out competition with the winner being declared Super League champions.
Douglas disclosed that the budget for this year’s league in the vicinity of US$200 000.
Adding that transportation and meals for the teams when they have to travel from their respective bases would take up much of the finances, being funded by the international body FIFA once again.
The first round is expected to culminate in May, before Guyana celebrates its Independence anniversary, while the second round is expected to start late August or early September and end in October.
According to Douglas, the US$200 000 budget will also offset the cost of holding educational programmes for administrators, training staff and referees.