When the curtains come down this evening at the Ministry of Education Ground, Carifesta Avenue; two teams will remain standing, face to face, as they prepare to battle in the final of the Turbo Knockout football competition.
A glimpse of what to expect tonight in the semi-final
The precursor to the final showdown will be held tonight as four teams battle in the semifinal round of the exhilarating competition. The scheduled double header will see Pouderoyen FC taking on Fruta Conquerors Under 20 at 18.30hrs, while defending champions Northern Rangers do battle with Georgetown Football Club (GFC) at 20.30hrs.
Given the straight knockout nature of the tournament, all the teams will enter the semifinal round with a clean slate. In the first encounter, Pouderoyen FC’s experience in the game will hand them an advantage over the only remaining under 20 team in the competition. However, the youngsters are not be taken lightly, since they are the current champions of the Limacol Football tournament.
Expectantly, the match between the West Coast and Georgetown based teams will be one to behold with a wealth of talent on show. Thus far, Stephen Jupiter and Darrell Abrams have been the leading men for Pouderoyen while young stars like Ryan Hackett and Nicholas Mc Arthur have been on the frontline in Fruta’s victories.
Anything is possible in tonight’s encounters
However, Fruta conquerors have recently benefitted from the presence of defensive whizz Jeremy Garrett who can be a huge hurdle for Pouderoyen to cross, should they look to attack Joel Yhap’s area.
Should the first semifinal run its full course, a decider from the penalty mark will be an intriguing one to watch, given the fact that both teams have secured victories on penalties. All in all, the night of football action will most definitely begin on a stimulating note.
On the other hand, defending champions Northern Rangers have taken an offensive approach to the tournament and have been rewarded on many occasions for their style of play. Given this fact the second semifinal will produce fireworks as the incumbent clash with The Georgetown Football Club, who are keen to add a title win to their club’s legacy.
GFC sported a boosted team in their last encounter against Santos Under 20 and their hard work paid off as they brushed aside their younger opponents. Now, it will be interesting to see how GFC’s new outfit will augur against a more experienced team.
GFC’s Deon Alfred has already added merit to the team but being rivaled by the likes of Wendell St. Hill of Northern Rangers, the Bourda based team may not be able to over run their opponents as easily this time around. At the beginning of this the third installment of the tournament, the 2018 winners Northern Rangers made it clear that they will be looking to recapture the Turbo title, as such, it is safe to say that this battle to get into the final will be an sensational one.
The eventual winner of the Guyana Beverage INC sponsored tournament will walk away with $400,000 while second place pockets $200,000. Third and fourth place will receive $100,000 and $50,000 respectively. (Jemima Holmes)
