SUPPORTERS and fans of pre-tournament favourites Albouystown ‘B’ came out in their numbers last Thursday night at Punt Trench and School Street, Albouystown, to take up every vantage point available, with the aim of spurring on their team to keep their five alive.
What they got in return was a dismal performance followed later by a shocking defeat, as the Festival City boys werethe ones to keep their five alive, edging their much-fancied opponents 4-3

on penalty kicks to advance to tonight’s playoffs/final.
Also advancing on the penultimate night of action in this year’s third annual Mackeson ‘Keep Your Five Alive’ Futsal football tournament were Sparta Boss, the other pre-tournament favourites and West Front Road (WFR), who both recorded 1-0 victories over River View and Alexander Village respectively.
Having seen Nathaniel Nagaloo enter the game as a substitute in the 8th minute and stunning the crowd one minute later with a well-placed shot, the Wendell Pedro-led WFR lineup did their best to prevent Shem Porter and Quincy Jerome from nullifying that lead throughout the remainder of the contest, displaying a stern and steady defence.
Rasville and Vryheid’s Lust competed in the first exhibition game after that quarterfinal encounter, with the former winning via penalty kicks to take home their prize of one case of Mackeson Stout, compliments of Ansa McAl Limited.
Albouystown ‘B’, with Shaka Jones, Roy Samuels and Devon Forde in their lineup, took the playing venue to loud cheers and applause from their supporters, who drew nearer to witness the action with intensity.
Every possible noise-maker that was available was used as they cheered on their heroes and when the whistle was blown to signal the start of the action, words of encouragement were being said.
‘Come on Shaka, is you we came to see play’ and ‘You can do it, Albouystown, Sparta Boss is next’ were some of the statements shouted at the players everytime they touched the ball, but the Festival City lineup that included Odell Williams, Andell Bailey, Mark Williams and Paul Bobb used them to their advantage.
They (Festival City) controlled the run of play, forcing Jones to go deep into his own half to uplift the ball on many occasions, while the entire Albouystown ‘B’ lineup who struggled to come to grips with their opponents’ style of play, opted to play defence for the final two minutes of the first half.
The second segment as well as extra time was no different from the first, as both teams attacked each other’s goal area relentlessly without success, before reverting to a defensive strategy until the final whistle, content on letting penalty kicks decide their fate.
Bailey was the first to take the spot kick for Festival City and to the surprise of many, struck the post of the small goal, a feat that was emulated by Jones, which sparked off an angry outburst from the supporters of the home team.
The next three kickers from both teams found the back of the net, forcing the referees to use sudden-death penalty kicks to decide the winner, following which the Albouystown ‘B’ kicker missed his own while his opposition’s kicker scored his, leaving the spectators stunned.
With their favourite team evicted, the fans threw their support behind Sparta Boss, who unlike Albouystown ‘B’ did not disappoint, as they romped away 1-0 winners over Riverview, in another keenly contested encounter.
Their win came via a Jermaine Weekes penalty kick, after one half of their strike duo Dennis Edwards forced the penalty in the third minute, when two of Riverview players defended their goal in the red zone area.
Despite several appeals to the referee, the penalty was awarded for which Weekes made the conversion with ease, while his team who played the remaining five minutes of the first half with five fouls to their name, stoutly defended their lead for the remainder of the game, to advance to tonight’s final night of action.
Quincy Weekes – no relation to Jermaine Weekes,- had the opportunity to snare the equaliser for Riverview in the dying stages of the contest, but his shot from approximately 12 feet out, struck the right upright of an empty goal, while his rebound shot went inches away..
According to the organiser of the tournament, Kevin Adonis, all six teams agreed to have the names of the three remaining teams placed in a bag, from which a draw will be made, with the team whose name is drawn advancing to the final while the other two will contest the semifinals.
This means no one knows who will be playing the semi-finals or who will be in the final, until tonight, when the action will culminate at the National Cultural Centre from 20:00hrs, where the victorious team who manage to keep their five alive, will walk away with $300 000 and a trophy while the runners-up will collect half that amount.