Just when?Dwayne Mars thought he had shattered Gall Hill’s pride, Shaquille Boyce turned up to spoil the party.
Boyce’s 90th minute strike deservedly earned Pride of Gall Hill a share of the spoils as they battled to a 1-1 draw against Claytons Kola Tonic Notre Dame in a hard fought contest when the Barbados Football Association’s (BFA) Digicel Premier League continued at the Wildey Astroturf on Thursday night.
In the night’s first game, a brace from Armando Lashley allowed DirecTV Paradise to start their campaign on a winning note with a 2-0 drubbing of Families First St John Sonnets.
It was Terell “Peter Pan” Gibbons’ spectacular run on the right flank which led to Gall Hill’s equalizer that proved to be the highlight of the night.
Having already warned Notre Dame with some menacing runs down the left flank in the first half, Gibbons switched to the right in the second period.
And with time running out, the slimly built Gibbons combined speed and guile to dribble past three Notre Dame defenders and work his way into the penalty area before unselfishly laying off a pass for Boyce to smash past Notre Dame’s helpless goalkeeper Kareem Farrell.
The four remaining minutes of stoppage time didn’t pass without drama either, with referee Edwin Adams having no choice but to issue Notre Dame’s Zico Edmee with a red card for violent conduct after the striker kicked Ramuel Millar in the buttocks, leaving him writhing in pain.
It was an anti-climactic ending to an exciting match which saw both teams squander several goal scoring opportunities, especially in the first half.
Gibbons got the ball rolling immediately after kickoff, but his left footed volley was way off target, before Mars thought he had given his side the lead just seconds later.
A quick Notre Dame counter attack saw him receiving a pass from fellow striker Diquan Adamson inside the six-yard box, but his simple tap in which beat Rushan Adamson, Adamson’s younger brother and Gall Hill’s goalkeeper, was ruled offside.
Moments later, Gibbons wasted the perfect opportunity to get his name on the scoresheet, when he was played through by an excellent ball from Renaldo Marques.
He pushed the ball a bit too far ahead of him, allowing Farrell to advance off his line and make a superb clearance.
More good work from Gibbons saw him break free on the left, but there was no one in the box to receive his cross.
Notre Dame’s supporters were left holding their heads when Giancarlo Cobham somehow managed to blast over from six yards with only the keeper to beat, just as the referee blew to signal the end of the half.
And 18 minutes into the second half Notre Dame found themselves ahead.
Another exchange between Adamson and Mars saw the latter beat the offside trap, before rounding an advancing Adamson and slotting into an empty goal.
In the end though, Boyce’s goal ensured that both teams walked away with a point each.
