Defending champs Fruta lose on opening night; Western thump Milerock

TEN football clubs, on Sunday evening, were involved in a ceremonious march pass, which signalled the commencement of the KFC- sponsored, Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Elite League 2023.

When it got down to game time, Western Tigers thumped Milerock FC, out of Linden, 10-0.

Western’s Captain Daniel Wilson opened the scoring early in the 3rd minute of the encounter, after executing a stellar strike after receiving a well- placed assist from Eusi Phillips.

The second goal was not witnessed until the 31st minute of the game, when Hubert Pedro beat the defender and the goalkeeper with a long shot, just inside the 18-yard box.

It was at that point that goals started to rain down on the Milerock defence. A leap and a header resulted in the third goal for Western Tigers, coming from Jorrell Tyrell in the 33rd, while in the 44th Curtez Kellman added his name to the scoresheet with a blistering longshot straight through the middle.

The half ended 4-0, but the West Ruimveldt-based outfit had lots more in store. With the introduction of Trayon Bobb in the second half, things got a lot pacier for Milerock.

Wilson went on to complete his hattrick in the 50th and 83rd; the latter being assisted by Bobb from the wings, while Jorrell Tyrrell completed his double with another strike in the 58th. Malachi Grannum added to the tally in the 71st and Bobb’s sprints down the wigs paid dividends in the 80th, when he found the back of the net. In the 90th+2, Jermaine Beckles sealed the deal, bringing up their tenth goal, just before the final whistle was sounded.

In the second fixture of the night, defending champions Fruta Conquerors crumbled under the pressure of the Guyana Police Force (FC) on their home turf.

At first, the matchup looked evenly poised with young Fruta Conquerors placing the first shot on target, though it was scooped up by the officer’s goalkeeper, their intensity remained high. Police on the other hand, took some time to find their groove, but did not waste their opportunity when it came knocking.

With the Conquerors’ defence rushing to the wings, a clever pass found Nicholas McArthur square in front of the goal with no protection insight. McArthur made no mistake to register Police’s first in the 28th.

In the 83rd, it was McArthur again, who this time capitalised on a set piece to find the back of the net for his team’s second goal in the 2-0 victory.

The Elite League will continue tomorrow, Tuesday, with another double header at the same venue. From 19:00 hours Victoria Kings will take on Santos, while GDF and Ann’s Grove go head-to-head from 21:00 hours.