By Stephan Sookram

IT WAS a ‘Chan-tastic’ night of football action at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, when returning national forward and Golden Jaguars skipper Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson led his team to a 2-0 dismantling of Suriname. Chan, who was handed the captaincy armband by coach Jamaal Shabazz, blossomed in his new role, leading the charge and rewarded Shabazz with two successive strikes.

From the outset, the skipper partnered with Vurlon Mills upfront to take on the Surinamese defence, with several flashy runs and spectacular one-touch football; taking an invigorated brand of attacking game to the opposition
Richardson and Mills shared the target man role in the side from time to time, landing bombs all over the opposition camp, both men getting into the box but were the subject of some crisp defending.
Finally, the Jags found truth in the old saying, ‘constant banging breaks down any door’ as their relentless runs yielded tangible result in the 17th minute.
Richardson, in form and on the prowl, was on the receiving end of a pass down the left side from pacey midfielder Eon Alleyne and successfully converted for his first of the evening, sending the fans into jubilation.
This goal was by no means the end of the ‘Jackie’ parade as he continued to pressure the opposition A Selektie’s back line along with fellow forward Mills.
The attacking 4-4-2 formation of the Jags allowed them to also retain the bulk of the possession during the first half as two more attempts were skewed just slightly off target.
Returning from the break and after a minute of silence for fallen player Julian Moe, the Jags were the first to use their substitutions as Konata Manning replaced Travis Grant.
Meanwhile, the Surinamese came back with a vengeance as they were determined not to go down 1-0 and while they featured some classy runs of their own; they ended up fizzling out. The Jags, with about 16 minutes into the half, again exercised their rights to field fresh players, as Alleyne and Mills were replaced by Devon Millington and Daniel Wilson respectively.
Wilson wasted little time in unleashing a thunderous strike on the game, which had Surinamese keeper belly up. The only thing separating him from glory was the crossbar which rocked as the shot ricocheted onto the ground and back out to the keeper; leaving many fans on their feet and vocal for the referee to award a goal.

The Jags pushed on and Trayon Bobb replaced Colin Nelson in the 69th minute while Suriname made their first change.
However, it would take another touch of class from the skipper as he showed his attention to detail, finishing Joshua Browne’s 73rd minute pass which dried the ink on the paper of the victory for the Jags.
The skipper was eventually replaced by Dwayne Lindie, while Dwight Peters came on for Dellon Lanferman.
Other starters in Shabazz’s line-up were Alex Murray (goalkeeper), Solomon Austin, Kester Jacobs, and Quincey Adams.
In the earlier game, the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) All-Stars defeated the Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA) All-Stars 2-1.
Shabazz and the Jags will now turn their focus to the CFU Championships after being drawn in Group-5. The event is set to kick off during the period of March 21-29, with the Golden Jaguars being paired with Puerto Rico and Anguilla.