By Ras Wadada

GUYANA’s top flight football action resumes on the pitch this evening after over two months of inactivity as the top four teams begin the battle for a top prize worth $1.5MGY at Tucville Community ground.The League leaders’ competition is a precursor to the start of the 2nd half of the GFF/Stag Elite League where the number one team clash with the number two for a place in the final while the loser will have a second ‘bite at the cherry’ in the semi-final when they meet the winner of the meeting between the number three and four teams.
Today’s action at Tucville kicks off at 16:30hrs with an East Coast derby featuring 3rd placed Devcon Victoria Kings against 4th placed Buxton United. This match-up has always brought out the best in these two teams and today’s encounter will be no different.
The Devcon Kings’ unit go into the game with a psychological edge having won the first round encounter by a 2-1 margin, but Buxton’s coach ‘Dan’ McPherson has vowed to avenge the narrow loss today.
His opposite, Denzil ‘Hunky Brains’ Thompson who has been in charge for 5 weeks now, while not totally pleased with the preparation of the team, is cautiously optimistic of coming out victorious this afternoon.
“The entire club and team is in transition, we are rebuilding and to get to where we want to be will take time. Presently the team morale is high and once we make fewer mistakes will come out on top”, the former national goalkeeper told Chronicle sport.
It will be the first official game for the Kings side since securing sponsorship from Devcon Construction and today they will appear in their new outfits and several new players inclusive of brothers Tichard and Pierre Joseph. The back four will be marshalled by the experienced Sherlock Dowden while the veteran Aubrey Gibson will lead the attack.
The Buxton side will have a new captain in defender Rondell Assanah who takes over from midfielder Denvor Dennis while young Delon Wright spearheads the attack.
The feature game, set for 19:00hrs, is expected to be equally fierce and competitive as the unstoppable Army confront home-side Fruta Conquerors without head Coach Sampson Gilbert, on national U-17 duties overseas. Also out of today’s action are Jeremy Garette, Nicholas McArthur and Reshawn Ritch who are in Martinique with the National U-17s as well.
The Army side who brushed aside all the other five teams in the first round of the GFF/Stag Elite League will have a new look defense as three of the starters are away on courses and will not be back until next month. Gone, temporarily, are central defender Aubrey Greene as well as wing-backs Darrel George and Cedric Osborne and midfielder Kennard Simon.
According to the GDF’s Technical Director, Bilaal Nantambu, ‘the back four will now read; Kevin Sullivan and Travis Henry in the middle, with Cargill Younge on the right and Shaun Arthur on the left’.
The Army’s defense will be tested by a new look Conquerors’ attack that includes Pernel Schultz and the ever-green Anthony ‘Awo’ Abrams, both acquired in the transfer window. The Fruta side will be coached by Dean Headley who will be at the helm for the first time and who will also showcase in today’s line-up two more new acquisitions in midfielder, Kareem Knights and defender Solomon Austin. The home-side will also have a new captain in former national goalkeeper Derek Carter.
The Conquerors side must take into this encounter their second half performance against the soldiers when they held them score-less to be the only side to do so in the first round. On that occasion it was the burly Jeffrey Perreira who spearheaded the 3-1 win with a double.
The Elite League’s top goal-scorer, Sherwyn Caesar, who was benched for disciplinary reasons in that game, today has the opportunity to prove he is a match winner, yet again. His main support will come from Eusi Phillips and brothers, Elwin and Delroy Fraser.