DEFENDING?KNOCKOUT champions Barbados Defence Force (BDF)?will have a tricky encounter when they face Division One leaders Silver Sands in the final match of a KFC?Champions Cup football triple header at the Wildey AstroTurf tonight.
The 8 p.m. clash will be preceded by a 5:30 p.m. showdown between the star-studded Rendezvous and Shawn Hope United, both of Division Two, following the evening’s opener between the Premier League’s Dayrells Road and Ellerton of Division One at 3:30 p.m.
RENDEZVOUS vs SHAWN HOPE
Rendezvous, with their collection of past and present Barbados and St Vincent and the Grenadines national footballers, are enjoying a golden league run.
They have won all five of their matches to date while scoring a whopping 26 goals with Barbados reserve goalkeeper Kerry Holder conceding just one.
A fortnight ago, they also ousted Premiership strugglers, Families First St John Sonnets, 4-0 in the first round of the Champions Cup with a delightful brand of one-touch soccer.
Rendezvous boast the likes of Jeffrey Williams, Jomo Brathwaite, Paul “Soup” Lovell, veterans Gregory “Lalu” Goodridge, Floyd Bailey and Wayne Sobers, as well as Vincentians Romano Snagg, Shandel Samuels, Myron Samuels, Emerald George and Damal Francis, and fans should be in for another goal feast against the unheralded Shawn Hope, who surprised many by reaching the quarter-finals two years ago.
BDF vs SILVER?SANDS
Silver Sands, who previously played in the Premiership, should not be under-estimated as they still have the nucleus of that side, with players such as goalkeeper Rhon Cox, Shane “Plucky Duck” Welch, Lloyd Myron Wilkinson, Jamel Pinder, Jason Sealy, the heavy-set Tyrell Hinkson, Carlos Ward, Timothy Walton and veteran Victor “Earth” Ward of road tennis fame.
Having defeated Bagatelle 5-3 in the last round, Silver Sands will also have fond memories of playing at the AstroTurf as they beat Pinelands 5-3 in a Division One match at the venue on March 17 when Pinder logged four goals.
BDF may be without inform striker Jamal Chandler, who had to be substituted during the first half of Thursday’s 4-1 win over Youth Milan.
But they have more than enough fire power up front with the likes of Mario Harte, even though he has not been scoring as often as he should, Kyle Gibson and Chai Lloyd.
With Nicholas Best nursing a fractured leg, BDF can also call on young football recruits like Shaquille Stewart, Mario Williams and Shamar Edwards while midfielders Raheim Sargeant, Dwayne O’Garro, Rashad Jules and Romario Harewood have all been getting on the scoresheet as well as tall central defender Teriq Highland.
ELLERTON vs DAYRELLS ROAD
In the opener, Ellerton, with the likes of Damien “Bobby” Walcott, Shamar Ifill, sweeper Alvin “Gate Man” Holder, will be looking to oust Dayrells Road following their 4-0 thrashing of Central League Spartans in the previous round.
Dayrells Road could be at their most vulnerable with injuries to key defender Chris Sealy and goalkeeper Damien Simpson, while captain Ryan James will have to serve an automatic one-match suspension after he was red-carded in the last Premiership outing against Weymouth Wales.
A lot will depend on striker Tristan “Fishy” Parris, Curtis Odle, Brian Bynoe, Kyle Coppin and John Stoute.
But Roland Sandiford, Philip Belle, Matthew Harris and Jabar Junai will all need to show their defensive qualities in the absence of Sealy and James.
