Abrahams United Silver Sands’ scintillating display on Saturday night gave them a confidence-boosting 3-1 win over Home Improvement Hardware Compton in the first of their out-of-zone encounters in the 2018 BFA Premier League season.
In other out-of-zone match-ups to take place at the Wildey AstroTurf, Claytons Kola Tonic Notre Dame grabbed another late winner to defeat Crane & Equipment Ellerton 1-0, while Empire emerged victors by the same score in their keenly contested battle with Mark’s Auto Spares Porey Spring.
In the middle match, Silver Sands’ victory came after another equally defiant display, their goalless draw with Paradise a week prior and lifted them temporarily to fourth in the Zone 1 standings, while Compton, still without a win or clean sheet this season, slipped to fifth in Zone 2.
Derrine Gale Forde opened the scoring for Silver Sands in the 18th minute and his team would preserve their one-goal lead until just before half-time, when they were awarded a penalty and the chance to double that lead.
Donte McClean’s resulting spot kick was denied by goalkeeper Greg Jones but Compton’s custodian was absolutely powerless as Rico Forde smashed in the rebound for a valuable two-goal cushion at half-time.
Player-of-the-game Troy Johnson made that cushion a bit more comfortable ten minutes from full time before Corey Hoyte grabbed the consolation goal for Compton five minutes later.
In the night’s opening encounter, Notre Dame, second in Zone 1, showed great character and discipline to edge out another single-goal win and clean sheet against Ellerton, also second, in Zone 2.
Once again going into battle without their two leading marksmen, Zeco Edmee and Antone Greaves, Notre Dame had their attacking moments and rode their luck at times and particularly, when leading 1-0, survived a quite spectacular miss from less than six yards out by Ellerton centre-back Damien Walcott.
That lead was given to them by rookie midfielder Sheran Hoyte in the 75th minute and the final result kept Notre Dame in second but moved them level on points with Zone leaders Weymouth Wales, who have two games in hand.Â
In the night cap encounter, it was another showing of the late show with Empire winning it at the death against Porey Spring. New boy Daniel Calvi again was the star as Empire collected their second win of the season. His precise finish in the 84th minute squeezed under stopper Anthony Rollins to score.Â
Empire remain bottom of Zone 1 but will be buoyed by the consistently first-rate performances of Calvi while Porey Spring, temporarily remaining fourth in Zone 2, need a turnaround in form after losing two and drawing four of their six games. (NM)
