By Rawle Toney

VETERAN striker Anthony ‘Awo’ Abrams netted the STAG Elite League’s first hat-trick, as he propelled Alpha United to a 4-0 win over Monedderlust on Sunday evening at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC). That same night Pele FC and Buxton United played a goal-less draw. Abrams, who rejoined Alpha United from League Genesis’ winners and rivals Slingerz FC during the recent transfer window, opened his account just ten minutes into the game, and followed with goals in the 38th and 42nd minutes. Dwight Peters converted Alpha United’s other goal, doing so in the 82nd minute. The win now takes the ‘Hammers’ to the top of the table (seven points) after three matches, just one point ahead of Slingerz FC (six) who have only played two matches.
Meanwhile, in the night’s second match of the double-header, seventh place Buxton United held fourth-place Pele FC to a score-less draw, as both teams settled for shared points.
In fact, the East Coast Demerara should have won, given their countless goal-scoring chances, but Pele FC’s recently acquired goalkeeper Tevin Crawford ensured that his team kept a clean sheet and salvaged a point after their unusual below-par performance.
Pele will have to do without their star player Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson for their next two league matches, since the forward was given a straight ‘red’ by referee Sherwin Moore in the closing minutes of the game for ‘unsportsmanlike’ play.
The STAG Elite League finale will return to the GFC ground on Friday March 4 with the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) chasing their second win in three matches when they come up against the undefeated Fruta Conquerors from 18:30hrs.
Already signalling their intention to dominate the league with a 7-1 win over the GDF in their previous match, Slingerz FC will tackle GFC in the second match on Friday.
GFC, currently sixth on the eight-team table, are yet to secure a win, picking up a loss and a draw despite their good showing so far.