TOURNAMENT organisers Slingerz Football Club felt the full weight of the `Hammer’ on Sunday night at the GFC ground when they were beaten 2-4 by Alpha United in the final of the Slingerz/National Association of Women’s Football `Goals for Gold’ football tournament.

On Sunday also, Georgetown Women slammed their Bartica counterparts 4-0 in the women’s final which was also played at the GFC ground.
Andrew Murray led the way for Alpha with a brace in the 49th and 61st minutes while Dwight Peters and guest player Grenadian Kiston Bain registered goals in the 29th and 34th minutes respectively.
Replying for Slingerz were Colin Nelson in the 41st minute and Devon Millington in the 63rd minute.
Playing in front of a large crowd, Peters, the Alpha United captain, led from the front by opening the scoring after he played the ball forward, but it was intercepted by Slingerz defence who tried to dribble Murray who was pressuring him. He lost control as Murray stole the ball and made an early pass to Peters – a move that split the Slingerz defence and Peters then took control and shot it across the opposition’s custodian Simon Emmanuel’s body into the back of the goal.
Five minutes later, Bain got into the act from a transition play that started from the defence. The ball was played to Peters on the right side of the opposition’s defence. Peters in turn made a first time pass to Bain who received well, drew Emmanuel off his goal line and netted it into an open goal.
Nelson then pulled one back for Slingerz 11 minutes later after Alpha United’s Quincy Madramootoo left the defence and went to the side line for treatment to an injury he had earlier received and with this, the ball was played from the wing to Nelson in Alpha United’s 18-yard box and Nelson made no mistake with a header.
With the score reading 2-1 for Alpha United, the second session started off really fast with both teams attacking and defending well, but it was Alpha that got the upper hand four minutes into the session with a buildup that saw Bain take control of the ball and shoot it to goal; but Emmanuel parried it in the path of Murray who pat it into goal.
Murray then made the score 4-1 after Anthony `Awo’ Abrams passed the ball to him (Murray) and he took a first time shot that had goal written all over it.
However, two minutes later, Millington made a solo play that caught the opposition’s defence on the retreat, giving him (Millington) room to do his thing and obliged with a clinical goal.
In a post-match comment, Alpha United coach Wayne `Wiggy’ Dover told Chronicle Sport the game was a good tactical one and his charges played to a game plan.
Dover commended Slingerz for putting up a good fight and said he is looking forward to the next tournament.
He, however, suggests that the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) should start a professional or semi-professional league. This he thinks will improve the standard of local football.
He also thinks the GFF should start looking at participating in Caribbean Football Union’s club tournaments.