THREE-time winners of the East Bank Demerara Football Association (EDFA) Premier League, Timehri Panthers, another newcomer to this year’s Kashif and Shanghai tournament, are faced with an uphill task when they oppose former champions  Pele Football Club in the opening fixture at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground next Saturday. The Panthers, who were denied a place in this prestigious tournament two years ago after losing in a playoff, feel that it’s their time and they can only do so by winning their first game against Georgetown giants Pele, who won their first and only title two years ago.
Speaking with Chronicle Sport, coach Kwasi Angus said, “We are faced with an uphill task against a giant club as Pele. This will give us a great test of our ability in big tournaments since we have long waited for this time and intend to make it count.”
Noting that in their domestic league they have won all their regular matches and lost the most important one (semifinals) on penalty kicks, Angus accepted the fact that this unit lost concentration and created a foul where the opponent capitalized, held them to a draw and won from the spot.
“Our unit now will be strengthened by the tournament accommodation of four guest players and this will be a significant boost for the Panthers. We are looking to build up at midfield and take the ball to the opposition defenders. I have looked at them (Pele) and have seen their patterns of play and I have sorted out our game plan.
With the likes of the powerful Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson our defenders will just have to do the basic defending, mark, contain, win the ball and make a positive forward pass, nothing too spectacular.
“In relation to our goalkeeping department, we would be boosting up that as well, since the tournament is a knockout and if it gets sticky we will rely on the goalkeepers to defend our goal from the spot.”
Panthers will be depending on Troy Johnson, Seon David, Colin Massiah, Romel Myles, Faizal Muhammad and Eon Dowding to help them advance past their first round opponents, while making a name for themselves in the country’s most prestigious football tournament which has a whopping first prize of one pound of gold valued G$4M.