INTENSE rivalries continued on the third night of action in this year’s Mackeson ‘Keep Your Five Alive’ football competition, which was held at the National Cultural Centre tarmac last Thursday night, as several favourite teams ensured they survived first-round scares and qualified for the following rounds.

Leopold Street opened the night’s proceedings with a 3-1 win over Sophia ‘A’ on penalty kicks, following a 0-0 stalemate at the end of regulation time, before Turkeyen sent Hadfield Street packing by the odd goal in one, which set the tone for a night of nail-biting finishes.
The lanky Chriswell Williams entertained the large crowd that turned out at the popular venue with exceptional skill for Vryheid’s Lust Champs, scoring the lone goal in the first half that earned his team a hard-fought 1-0 victory over East La Penitence.
It was not surprising that known football figures dominated the best two games of the night when Devon Millington and Dennis Edwards were on target for Sparta Boss against a North Ruimveldt team that were hapless against superior wit and skill.
The fixture was the third of only three games to be decided in regulation time.
It was a touch of class from Millington, who killed the knee-high cross from Edwards and finished for a clinical goal in only the second minute of the contest, before Edwards scored his goal four minutes after Millington’s strike, to hand their team a 2-0 win.
With their two-goal advantage, Sparta Boss were contented with playing defence in the second half, having already established a healthy advantage and advanced to the next round when the final whistle was sounded.
In the other games, Berlin defeated Stevedore, Broad Street won against the other Hadfield Street team, Back Circle engulfed Box of Money and Festival City ousted Tiger Bay, all in penalty shootouts to bring the curtain down on the night’s action.
The action switches to California Square tonight from 20:00hrs when teams will do battle under the theme “Your skill, your style, your five, your stout” with the aim of continuing to unearth hidden talent within communities.
It is a knock-out contest which will see the surviving team pocket $300 000 and trophy while the second-placed team will take home 150 000 and trophy. Each game will last for 15 minutes, with no extra time allowed in the preliminary round if the game is drawn after regulation time.
There is also a zero-tolerance attitude towards issues of indiscipline as the tournament continues to progress smoothly.