FUTSAL football fans are expected to throng the Haslington Market Square by the hundreds tonight, where another six exciting and enthralling matches in the second annual Banks DIH/Petra Organisation East Coast of Demerara Guinness ‘Greatest of de Streets’ competition will be held.

What makes tonight’s fixtures a must-see is the fact that the matches being played are four quarterfinals, followed by the semifinals, which means at the sound of the final whistle, Saturday night’s finalists will be known, with the losers meeting in the third place playoff.
The action will kick off at 18:00hrs, with Melanie ‘B’ (who gained a 2-1 victory over Buxton ‘A’ on penalty kicks on the first night last Saturday) opposing Victoria Eagles who also used penalty kicks to edge Golden Grove Superstars 4-3.
Last year’s runners-up Victoria Church Yard will rely on Kenroy Johnson and Nicholas Holder, their two goalscorers in their first round win over Vryheid’s Lust, to steer them past Paradise in the second encounter, with Kwame Alfred leading Paradise’ charge.
The third matchup pits defending champions Plaisance ‘A’ under the guile and wittiness of skipper Warren Gilkes, taking on Beterverwagting ‘B’, who defeated Plaisance’s ‘B’ team 2-0 on the opening night, thanks to Edun Fraser’s brace.
The final quarterfinal matchup for the night will see Melanie ‘A’ who enjoyed a walkover from Mahaica, go up against Beterverwagting ‘A’, who also enjoyed a walkover from Ann’s Grove Warriors, who were scared to show up for their opening night’s action.
The winners of the East Coast zone will advance to the national playoff to face seven other teams from two other zones.
Already, Georgetown zone champions Queen Street-Tiger Bay; runners-up Stevedore Housing Scheme; third-place finishers Hope Street-Tiger Bay and fourth- place Albouystown ‘B’, along with Eagles, Retrieve Unknowns and Scheme out of Linden, have qualified for the national playoffs which will kick off next month.

(By Calvin Roberts)