THE Phillip Marcellin Grounds in Vieux Fort will come alive this weekend, as The Veterans in Sports Inc Train whistles its way to the southern town for the penultimate round of matches in the 2018-2019 tournament.
According to VISI CEO, Alvin Malaykhan, all the Games in Vieux Fort this weekend and Wednesday 12th will be important as it will determine which teams will make it to the Caribbean Alliance Gold Cup and Flow Plate Championship quarterfinal round.
Today (Saturday 8th) from 6.00 p.m. defending champions Soufriere Veterans will take on Anse la Raye in a must win encounter for ALR; former Caribbean Alliance Gold Cup and Plate Champions VSADC will be keeping a close eye and fingers crossed on this much anticipated encounter.
At 8.00 p.m. the evening’s second matchup will see Vieux Fort South taking on Congorians who has not won a game this year, a win for VFS will keep their Plate chances alive.
On Sunday 9th, at 3.00 p.m. Prophet and Kings will face Vieux Fort North; the two teams having already qualified for the Plate Championship.
At 5.00 p.m. group qualifiers Gros Islet Veterans and Micoud Veterans will be looking to cement their positions when they face each other. Gros Islet Veterans only need a draw in this encounter, to top the leader board.
The final game on the evening is scheduled for 7.00 p.m. as Vieux Fort Central will play bottom of the points table in Group C – Canaries Veterans.
Meanwhile, in matches played this past weekend at the Marchand Grounds on Saturday evening defending champions Soufriere now on 9 points defeated Mon Repos Sharks 5-0 with goals from Marius Joseph in the 6th minute, Sherick Poleon in the 25th and 57th minutes and Jerome Serville in the 34th and 40th minutes.
Laborie Veterans continued their good run on form in this year’s tournament as they defeated Canaries 1-0, the goal scorer for Laborie Veterans, Ashley Duncan in the 43rd minute. Laborie Veterans now heads the Group C with 6 points; they are closely followed by the compatriots LaboweeConnextions on 5 points.
The two Laborie teams will clash on Wednesday evening at the Phillip Marcellin Grounds kick off time 6.00 p.m.
In the final game on the evening, Marchand Veterans defeated Congorians 1-0, a goal scored by Cleus Griffith in the 15th minute of play.
On Sunday 2nd at the Sab Sporting Facility, Game 1 – VSADC defeated Anse la Raye 1-0, the goal scorer for VSADC Barnett Bledman in the 15th minute.
In game 2, Vieux Fort North defeated former champions Caricom Masters 1-0, the goal scorer for VFN Jvanc Isaac in the 37th minute.
It means that Caricom Masters for the first time in the history of the tournament has been relegated and will have to play in the playoff later this year.
The final game of the evening, Flow Lancers FC, defeated Vieux Fort South 1-0 a goal scored by Anthony Paul in the 65th minute. This means Flow Lancers is now leading Group
It was a game where both teams had several scoring opportunities in either side of the half.
CEO of Veterans In Sports Inc, Alvin Malaykhan spoke to the VOICE and this is what he had to say, “The tournament is picking up a lot of steam as the various groups look pretty tight; the teams continue to fight for their spot in the Caribbean Alliance Gold Cup and the Flow Plate Championship, this year we are not seeing a clear cut favourite and that’s what makes it exciting”.
Are you satisfied with the level of play on the pitch compared to previous years?
Malaykhan: “The quality of play has really improved, you have VFS playing good football, they will be moving to the Plate Championship; Flow Lancers FC stepping up and they will be heading into the Caribbean Alliance Gold Cup quarterfinal round. You also have Marchand and Valley Legends they too have stepped up and the consistency of last year’s two finalist Soufriere and Gros Islet topping their respective Groups”.
“Now you have Caricom Masters being relegated, they did not win a game this year; I am not saying they played bad football, it just shows there is a mark improvement in the level of competition. Caricom Masters will be going into the Playoff next year, we hope to see that team bring a new core of players, now that you have younger 40 year olds in the tournament and as organizers we will be looking to bring in the 50 and Over in the Maters part of the tournament”. Malaykhan said.
