GFF/KFC Elite League: Western Tigers, Ann’s Grove start campaign on high note
Ann’s Grove United pulled off a 3-0 victory over Fruta Conquerors
With both teams being under new management, Western Tigers and Ann’s Grove United have romped to emphatic wins on Tuesday night, when the Guyana Football Federation (GFF)/KFC Elite League 2024 moved into its second game day.
After a less-than-impressive run in last year’s League, new coaches Calvin ‘Fluman’ Allen and Travis Bess steered Ann’s Grove United to their first win of the season against the reputable Fruta Conquerors. Following much back-and-forth in the opening minutes of the game at the Federation’s National Training Center (NTC) at Providence, East bank Demerara, Kevin Williams broke the ice for Ann’s Grove in the 37th minute, for a 1-0 score at the half.
Not long after the second segment began, an own goal added to Ann’s Grove’s tally in the 59th, while a Jaden Vangronigen strike in the 77th made it a 3-0 affair, sealing the win for the East Coast outfit.
A look at the lopsided battle between Western Tigers (yellow) and Buxton United
Later in the evening, the former team of Allen and Bess, Western Tigers FC, now again under the watchful eyes of Coach Charles Pollard, sent a strong message to the rest of the league with a commanding 10-0 victory over Buxton United FC.
Western Tigers got the scoring started pretty early, and finished with 6 players adding their names to the scoresheet, with four of the set scoring doubles. Andew Murray struck first in the 4th minute, and soon after made it a 2-0 game in the 11th.
Four minutes later, Trayon Bobb found the back of the net to complete a 3-0 halftime score for Western.
In the second half, however, the goals rained down on Buston United. Randolph Wagner netted back-to-back goals in the 53rd and 57th to push their tally to five, while Chai Williams had his first in the 66th.
Anthony ‘Awo’ Abrams, a recent addition to the Western outfit, netted his first for the team in the 77th, followed by a double strike from Jermaine Beckles in the 83rd and 90th.
In the 90th +2, Williams completed his brace to secure the 10th and final goal for Western Tigers.
Though the first round of games is not yet completed, Western Tigers now lead the table with three points, sharing the summit with Slingerz and Guyana Defence Force, who also have three points. However, Western Tigers’ (+10) goal difference is superior to those of Slingerz (+7) and GDF (1).
The KFC Elite League continues tomorrow, with a single game set for the same Providence, East Bank Demerara venue. There, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) FC will take on Den Amstel FC from 19:00hrs.
The competition is fierce, with participating teams aiming for the coveted top spot and the substantial G$2,000,000 first-place cash prize. The second, third, and fourth-place finishers are set to receive G$1,200,000, G$800,000, and G$500,000, respectively.
