Latest update February 11th, 2025 2:15 PM
Jul 09, 2008 Sports
By Franklin Wilson
Last years championship saw the winners (Alpha United) being decided on the last evening of the second and final round of competition and this year the rivalry between the top city sides contesting the Cellink Plus Premier League seems headed in a similar direction.
While they are only at the half way point it is fair to at least predict that even if it is not as close as last year, the battle for the title this year will be as intense. Already, some of the teams have shown great improvement while others have simply been ordinary at best so far.
Showing great improvement is Sunburst Camptown who will commence round-two in pole position with 17 points and the only unbeaten team out of 8. The Campbellville based unit has won 5 of their 7 matches while drawing 2. They have scored a total 16 goals while conceding 6 for a goal difference of 10.
Camptown, a mixture of senior and junior players, have come on strong and is certainly the team to beat in 2008. They are by no means close to their true potential and that’s what makes them a dangerous unit and one that cannot be taken for granted. Under the guidance of Georgetown Football Association (GFA) President Troy Mendonca who also serves as their head coach, they have been hard at training and working out in the gym and have been reaping the rewards of hard and disciplined work.
Three (3) points back and 2nd in the point’s standings are the resurgent Guyana Defence Force (GDF) on 14 points, suffering a single loss, winning 4 and drawing 2 matches. The GDF is a dangerous unit boasting a number of seasoned campaigners and will have an eye on the championship. They have certainly endured some challenges on and off the field but have shown that they have what it takes to be podium finishers.
Defending champions Alpha ‘The Hammer’ United also known as the local Manchester United are 3rd on 12 points (3 wins, 1 loss, 3 draws) but must improve a great deal if they have any intentions of retaining the beautiful locally carved championship trophy.
Alpha, have been without some of their top players and head coach, Wayne ‘Wiggy’ Dover due to national commitments and will have to dig deep in this final round to retain the title which is by no means impossible but will take hard work to achieve.
A single point behind the defending champions is Fruta Conquerors (11 points) having been defeated twice, secured 3 wins and 2 draws. Their performance in the first round has been an average one with fans expecting more. But they too, have been going through a rebuilding process and have been exposing a number of their younger players to the rigors of Premier League rivalry.
A breath of fresh air in the championship is the 5th placed Georgetown Football Club, a unit which earned their place in the higher ranks due to their 2nd place finish in the GFA’s Division One competition. They have since proven to all that they truly deserve being among the bigger boys by whipping a few of them including the woeful Pele. The Bourda Blue’s have won 3 matches losing a similar amount and drew one for their 10 points.
Falling away at a rapid rate is last year’s runner-up, Pele. Their performances have been well below what they are capable of doing to the real disappointment of their ardent supporters. They must show marked improvement in this final phase of the championship or face the ignominy of being relegated to the division-one ranks.
Winning a mere 2 games out of 7, drawing 2 and losing 3 can never be satisfying to the technical staff and in the off season the focus had to have been one of reversing that poor form. Their 8 points and 6th position out of 8 teams will perhaps serve to stimulate them into recapturing the devastating form they displayed last season. They have also been ordinary in knockout competitions having once enjoyed the accolade of being the knockout kings of Guyana.
Occupying the penultimate position with 3 points (3 draws 4 losses) is Santos FC another team that have been disappointing. At the start of the season there was a mass exodus of players from the club which has had a negative impact on their performances. They must rebound and do so in good time or they will be one of two teams who will be going back down the ranks.
The technical staff of Santos will have surely been analyzing the positives and negatives of their first round performance and devising a plan to radically improve their fortunes when the exciting second and final round kicks off shortly.
The pitiful performance of Uprising, who earned their place among the bigger boys by virtue of finishing as division-one champions in the one-round league, was a major disappointment.
They would need a major rise in performance in this round to avert what seems to be the inevitable downward trek to where they came from.
Uprising surely did not do any homework and perhaps took things for granted or worst yet, were still enjoying their rise to the Premier level when the league was in full flow. They must have by now, learnt that at this level it is serious business and no room to play around but play serious ball.
Uprising and Santos are the only 2 teams not to have posted a win in the first round. The former scoring only 3 goals while conceding 29. Santos hit the network twice and let in 14.
Football fans are eagerly awaiting the start of the final round of competition which is anticipated to be very interesting. It is left to see what lessons were learnt by the various teams and what corrective measures they would employ to get better or be continued to be trampled upon.
Its good luck to all but there will only be one winner come the end of this final round of rivalry.
Feb 11, 2025
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