GFF Super League …
… Camptown secure third place with 2-1 win
THE Guyana Defence Force (GDF) football team felt the `brunt’ of Alpha United’s `Hammer’ on Sunday night, when the final of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF)/FIFA-sponsored `Win in CONCACAF with CONCACAF’ Super League tournament climaxed at the Providence national stadium.

Playing in front a moderate crowd, Alpha United came from behind to edge the army team 2-1 to win the $1M first prize and trophy.

GDF’s custodian (on ground) could not stop this Dwight Peters’ 91st minute goal that gave Alpha United the GFF’s inaugural Super League title at the Guyana National Stadium. (Photo by Cullen Bess-Nelson photos)

Dwayne Jacobs and Dwight Peters found the back of the soldiers’ net in the 44th and 91st minutes respectively, after Delroy Dean had put GDF ahead with a 28th minute goal.

The army will march off with the $500 000 second prize and a trophy when the presentation ceremony is held on a date to be announced.

In the third-place play-off, Georgetown’s Sunburst Camptown edged Upper Demerara’s Milerock by a 2-1 margin also.

Chris Comacho and Norris Carter netted Camptown’s two goals in the 6th and 90th minutes while Detrol Dainty scored for Milerock in the 25th minute.

The Campbellville-based team will receive $300 000 and a trophy while Milerock will return to the mining community with $200 000.

In the supporting match of the triple-header card, the national Under-20 team came from one goal down to hold the GFF President’s XI side to a 1-1 stalemate.

Savouring the moment: Alpha United’s captain Howard Lowe accepts the winning trophy from Prime Minister Sam Hinds after edging GDF 2-1 in the final of the GFF’s inaugural Super League on Sunday night at the Guyana National Stadium.

Pierre Joseph scored for the President’s XI side in the 16th minute, while Manessah Primo found the equaliser for the national Under-20 team in the 75th minute of the 80-minute encounter.

In the feature game that was witnessed by Prime Minister Sam Hinds, FIFA’s Development Officer Keith Look-Loy of Trinidad and Tobago along with top GFF officials, Dean opened the scoring from a counterattack that caught Alpha United’s defence flat-footed high in the army’s half of the field.

He received a right-side cross from Stellon David and with only the goalkeeper (Ronson Williams) to beat; he drew Williams off his line, dribbled him and calmly placed the ball into the soldiers’ net.

The army team then kept up the attack for most of the remainder of the first session, but lost their focus with one minute to the interval when Jacobs went forward and pressured the opposition’s defence, stole the ball and took a bullet-like shot to goal that most certainly surprised GDF’s custodian.

With the score tied 1-1 on resumption, the soldiers went into a defensive mode, sitting deep and waiting for the opportunity to create goal-scoring opportunities by inviting Alpha United, the Georgetown Football Association’s Premier League champions, to come forward.

However, with the clock ticking away and two minutes of injury time signalled by the fourth official, Alpha went into extra drive and Peters received a pass from Shawn Bishop at midfield, quickly found himself in place and sent the ball past GDF’s custodian to give his team a well-deserved victory.

In an invited comment after the grand final, national coach Wayne `Wiggy’ Dover complimented both Alpha United and GDF for showcasing a high standard of football but noted that the army team gave the eventual winners too much space, after holding their own early in the game.

He said Alpha United are a well-drilled team and it would take a real organised effort to get past them as they have been winning championship after championship for the past four years.

“The army gave away too much space in the second half and this is when Alpha punished them,” Dover stated, adding “Peters had too much space to play with and he made use of it and scored the winning goal.”

Dover is of the opinion that if the other local teams can be drilled like Alpha United then it would not be a one-sided affair when they face Alpha.

“And that’s the level I want to see in Guyana. And with Kashif and Shanghai coming up and the quality of players representing Alpha, it’s going to be difficult to topple them … but it could be done.