Latest update May 7th, 2024 12:59 AM
Sep 09, 2012 Sports
Statistician Charwayne Walker continues his series on footballers who represented Guyana over the years. Today we feature Rupert Gordon.
Georgetown has always been regarded as the hub of sports activity thus relegating the achievements of Berbicians to obscurity. Despite this, sports stalwarts out of the Ancient County have etched their names into the annals of local sports history as in the case of Rupert ‘Chopeye’ Gordon, a footballer out of merit.
In December 1978, at the tender age of 15, Gordon represented Guyana at the Senior International Level against a touring Russian Textile Union team. The local team, led by Earl O’Neal lost the match but Gordon would have gained invaluable knowledge and experience.
One year later, the ‘Kid with the Thunder Legs,’ as Gordon was dubbed, became an integral part of Lennox Arthur’s arsenal when Guyana engaged Trinidad and Tobago in a home and away encounter in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) U-19 Championship shortly before donning national colours in October 1979 against Suriname in the Inter Guiana Games. The selectors persisted with the young talent and in 1980 Gordon earned a place on the team for the International U-19 home and away encounter against Suriname and once again Guyana was eliminated in the first round.
In August 1980 when he was merely 17 years old, Gordon was included in Guyana World Cup Squad to face Suriname but was relegated to obscurity in the shadows of other high caliber players, the likes of Clyde ‘Oiler’ Watson, Clyde ‘Wooly’ Forde, Roger Alphonso, Neville ‘Zipper’ Johnson, Ashton Taylor and Bunny Anthony. He was subsequently dropped from the team after that tour.
Although he scored consistently for the now defunct, Guyana Electricity Corporation (GEC) in the Inter Corporation Football tournament and Western Tigers in the Demico League in 1981 and 1982, he failed to regain his place since the local selectors failed to select a national team.
Later on, in 1983, Guyana returned to International Football but the only players out of the Western Tigers Club that were considered were Pug Wilson (coach), Leonard Williams, Gerald Williams and Julian Moe. The following Year, Lennox Arthur assumed the helm of the national team from Wilson, while Rupert Gordon returned to the National line up against India at GCC Bourda.
Gordon returned to national duties in August of 1984 and was spectacular in the World Cup Qualifiers against Suriname in Paramaribo and at the GCC Ground Bourda. His last International in 1984 was also against Suriname in November at GCC Bourda where Arthur’s men drew both matches 1-1.
In 1985 Gordon returned with a force and played an integral role when Guyana defeated Cuba in a two match series played at Bourda and followed up in another international encounter when Guyana defeated French Guiana 1-0 in their own backyard in the C.F.U Championship.
Guyana then played an inaugural International encounter at Base Camp Ayanganna where the Dutch team eliminated Guyana from the C.F.U Championship 1-0.
Gordon’s final international match was in 1985 against French Guiana at Camp Ayanganna where the local team registered a 1-0 victory.
In 1986 the Western Tigers ‘Thunder legs’ contested an International Series against Barbados in July at the GCC Ground, Bourda and that match ended in a 2-2 stalemate. He wrapped up the season in 1986 with a thrashing over a Venezuelan Select X1 at Camp Ayanganna where Guyana, led by Anthony Williams, secured victories in the 2 match series by 6-0 and 7-0 respectively.
Gordon commenced his international programme in 1987 with a 3-1 victory over the Bahamas in Nassau in an Olympic Qualifier. He then featured in a Guyana 3-1 victory over St. Lucia in Castries in an International Friendly and supported those performances in 1987 with a 2-2 stalemate against Barbados in Bridgetown. The dapper footballer said that he experiences a sense of bitterness when he remembers this encounter after his best friend and club mate, Julian Moe, was arrested at the airport for trafficking in a banned substance.
Following the Barbados debacle, Gordon went on to play an integral role in the destruction of the Bahamas 4-0 in an Olympic Qualifier return fixture at GCC Bourda. His efforts were not enough and Guyana was eliminated from the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
The local squad next engaged the Dominican Republic at the famous Bourda sward and Gordon was the star of the evening. He created openings for the strike trio, Lannie Maxwell, Frank, Alphonso and Adrian Forde and Guyana went on to procure the honours 4-0. The local team then registered a 1-0 victory in the return fixture in Santo Domingo.
Although Gordon scored in his next international encounter against Trinidad and Tobago at Camp Ayanganna, Guyana suffered a 2-1 defeat.
Gordon was also Terrence Archer’s deputy when Guyana lost two back to back Olympic Qualifiers 6-0 and 3-0 against Guatemala in their hometown in October 1987. ‘Thunder Legs’ last outing in national colours was December 3, 1987 at the Municipal Stadium in California where Mexico mauled Guyana 9-0 in an Olympic Qualifier. The national footballer was among several other ballweavers that absconded after the Mexico thrashing in Los Angeles.
During his illustrious career, he participated in several international tours including Trinidad C.F.U under 19 Championship (1979), Trinidad International Friendly, Suriname World Cup Qualifier (1984), French Guiana C.F.U Championship (1985), Bahamas Olympic Qualifier, St. Lucia International Friendly as well as other encounters in Dominica Republic, Guatemala and Los Angeles. (Charwayne Walker)
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