The Barbados Defence Force (BDF) ended the first round of the Digicel Premier League unbeaten by registering their seventh victory in nine matches on Saturday night at the Wildey Football AstroTurf.
The BDF, whose players are enrolled in the force’s sports programme, gave a solid display to carve out a 2-0 win over an unfortunate Dayrells Road side.
The result carried BDF to 23 points, eight more than second-placed DirecTV Paradise ahead of their scheduled match against Mackeson Brittons Hill last night.
Notwithstanding the result, Dayrells Road actually outplayed BDF for most of the second half.
However, they conceded an own goal in the tenth minute with defender Daniel Durant the culprit.
BDF got a second insurance goal in the 71st from the returning Jamal Chandler, his seventh of the Premiership, after a 25-minute period in which Dayrells Road created at least five goal-scoring chances but failed to convert any.
An unmarked Chandler made them pay, pushing home the ball at the back post from a rebound after Dayrells Road’s goalkeeper Fabian Smith had stopped the initial shot from Nicholas Best.
Before that, Dayrells Road came close to scoring as Jamar Parris, who was pushed forward from a wing back position once Corey Taitt came on at half-time, Tristan “Fishy” Parris and midfielders Brian Bynoe and Curtis Odle took the attack to BDF’s central defensive pairing of Ricardio Morris and Jason Lovell.
Goalkeeper Terry Smith had to block a shot from Jamar Parris after Odle played the ball around the BDF defence.
On two other occasions, he had to come off his line and put in telling tackles to deny Tristan Parris.
Defender Shane Annibaffa also missed a clear header.
Earlier, in the battle of this year’s two promoted teams, Families First St John Sonnets got their first point of the season when they earned a 1-1 draw with Cosmos.
Teenager Wade Garner gave Sonnets an early lead in the eighth minute while Zico Greaves equalized for Cosmos in the 20th minute.
Cosmos ended the match with ten men as defender Kareem Frederick was red-carded in the 70th minute for a tackle on Jason King.
