Thrills, spills at Stadium
The Red Snappers gifted a goal and were cooked by Conquerors.
But Barbados Steel Works Top Bay Settlers shared the spoils as Tristan “Fishy” Parris escaped their net with a gem of a goal for Scotty’s Combined Stars in a 2-2 stalemate.
Those were the main ingredients of Thursday’s penultimate preliminary set of matches in the LIME Pelican Football at the National Stadium.
Conquerors ate their meal which was presented on a platter for 17-year-old Diquan Adamson to taste in a 1-0 victory over the Direct TV-sponsored Deacons Farm-based side to top Group B with eight points.
The other unbeaten teams from the group, Top Bay and Combined Stars were second and third respectively with the former ahead by virtue of scoring more goals after both sides ended with six points and a goal difference of one.
Despite their second loss, Red Snappers also advanced on four points and will now play the Group A winners in the quarter-finals.
Conquerors’ goal left a bitter taste in the mouth of Snappers’ goalkeeper Richard Corbin, who had made a series of superb saves in the first half, none better than an acrobatic leap to flick away a stinging shot from Chad Bynoe.
But he spoiled his efforts in the 52nd minute, dropping a low cross from the left side by teenager Raheim Sargeant.
Adamson had the easiest task to push the ball into an empty net and not even Corbin’s triple blocks of substitute DeCarlo Jemmott in stoppage time could erase his earlier blemish; misses by Ricardo Carter and substitute Kenroy Skinner or more important key player Jeffrey Williams’ needless red card ejection for stepping on a fallen Rudi Grosvenor.
In the opening game, Top Bay Settlers took what looked like a winning 2-0 lead when Andre Gill superbly slammed his shot past goalkeeper Kareem Farrell after just nine minutes and Edwin Brereton confidently headed home a long throw in by Gregory “Lalu” Goodridge in the 27th minute.
But Combined Stars pulled back a goal on the stroke of half time with National Under-17 player Romario Harewood heading in a cross from the creative Malcolm “Buju” Marshall.
Then, Parris produced probably the goal of the tournament in the 77th minute when his sensational 30-yard shot sailed into the far corner.
Young custodian Delandro Belgrave, getting his first opportunity while first-choice ‘keeper Bernard Howell rested, simply had no chance to save.
And just before the end in stoppage time, substitute Sheldon White almost made the Stars shine when he headed wide from a firm cross by Stefan Bowen, who was in a no-nonsense tackling mood at left wing back.
The four teams to qualify for the quarter-finals will be decided when the last two group A matches are played tomorrow night.
