Milerock, Police strike gold on Super 16 opening night

…MACORP pledges continued support for football

By Jemima Holmes

The star-studded Guyana Football Federation’s Super 16 tournament began on Sunday evening, paving the way for three weeks of exhilarating year-end football action.

The matches are being played at the Police Sports Club Ground in Eve Leary, and the first double-header was attended by top notch officials and scores of football fanatics who had been starved of senior club action.
In the evening’s first encounter, Milerock FC out of Linden brushed aside Pele FC in what was originally a tight game. The first half of the encounter ended in a stalemate, with both sides looking for the deciding goal at the beginning of the second.

Milerock’s Jose Depaz finally broke the ice in the 51st minute, and then team captain Rawle Gittens followed suit with another goal in the 59th to put a win out of the reach of Pele, whose play had become lacklustre in the second segment.
Speaking with this publication, Gittens evaluated his team’s performance and expressed gratitude to those who played a part in their success.
“First of all, I must say thank God. For the last couple of weeks, we were pushing in a lot of hard work; so, for me, as a senior campaigner with the youngsters, I’m pleased to jump this hurdle.
“We’ll go back now to the table and try to correct our mistakes, cause the quarterfinal won’t be easy. I just want to say thanks to the youngsters (and) the coaching staff,” the Milerock captain expressed.
“What we take out from this win is that we gain a lot of experience from it. It wasn’t an easy game against a young Pele team like us, but the better team wins, and I think we were the better team on the night,” Gittens declared.
In the following match-up, Police FC used their home advantage to give Timehri Panthers a 6-2 thrashing. The law officers wasted no time in getting the ball in the net, Jamal Harvey opening the scoring in the 10th and following up in the 21st with another. Colwyn Adams scored a goal in the 24th minute that made it a 3-0 game by the half.
Even as the second segment of play began, the relentless star-studded policemen made it 4-0 in the 52nd minute through a Daniel Wilson strike.
Lloyd Matthews then attempted to save face for Timehri Panthers with a magnificent free kick in the 60th that found the back of the net. His brilliance did not deter the law officers, as Darren Benjamin (64th) and Trayon Bobb (74th) each went on to contribute a goal.
Jarel Walcott netted Timehri Panthers’ second goal in the 75th minute.
Machinery Corporation of Guyana (MACORP’s) executives were present at the event, having contributed a hefty million dollars to its staging. MACORP CEO Guillermo Escarraga shared the rationale behind the company’s involvement.
“We saw the work they have done and how far they have come, and we thought that it was a good idea to support them, because we know that they have a good plan. The company, they strive for supporting sporting activities, and football is something that young kids get involved in, and we want to be a part of it,” Escarraga explained.
Regarding the future, Escarraga noted that it is MACORP’s hope to be in stride with the GFF as they attempt to take Guyanese football to higher heights.
“The plan that the Federation has is a plan for long-term (development) and we want to be with them along the way. We want to be on their side in this journey to attempt to qualify for a World Cup, which is a really big objective,” the MACORP CEO detailed.
The GFF’s Super 16 will continue on December 20 at a venue on the East Coast of Demerara that is ‘to be announced’. In those fixtures, elite league champions Fruta Conquerors will take on Buxton Stars, while Buxton United will battle New Amsterdam United.
The final is slated to be played at the Guyana National Stadium on January 1.