Kickstart rush suffered a massive 2-0 upset at the hands of bottom-of-table Deacons when the Barbados Football Association’s Premier League continued on Sunday night at the Wildey Turf.
Playing the second game of a triple header, Kickstart started strong with positive linkup plays from attackers Sachin Cox, Shaquille Layne and Carl Hinkson. Deacons’ captain Keon Atkins also had some attempts at goal but the two sides could not break the deadlock in the first half.
In the second half, Kickstart unleashed a flurry of attacks, compliments link-up plays from Cox, Layne and Hinkson with speedy winger Kamari Johnson using guile and pace to get into the box to make passes. Deacons spent large portions of the second half in their half of the pitch doing their best to neutralise the Kickstart attacking threat.
Against the run of play, an inswinging free kick was met by the head of Atkins, who put just enough on it to allow it to bounce into the goal, past Kickstart goalkeeper Chris Colbey to make it 1-0 in the 79th minute. Shortly after, Johnson got a free kick on target but put it wide of the upright.
Kickstart’s Ethan Squires appeared to be taken down from behind in the box while advancing towards goal but much to the ire of his teammates, no penalty was awarded.
There was still hope for Kickstart to get back into the game but in the dying minutes, Colbey came out of goal to create more passing options and mishandled a pass, allowing Atkins to pounce, engaging in a foot race with Kickstart’s central defender Shane Mottley, who could only watch as the ball was fired into the open goal to complete the upset.
Meanwhile, Ensure Max Weymouth Wales blanked UWI Blackbirds 4-0 in the nightcap encounter, despite an early setback when winger Romario Harewood suffered an injury in the first few minutes and was taken off.
Opportune position
Elijah Downey was subbed on and it did not take very long before he found himself in an opportune position and took a shot
inside the box to score and make it 1-0 in the 21st minute. From there, Downey continued to be a threat on goal with positive attacking runs or defencesplitting passes to his teammates. Wales’ captain Andre Applewhaite thundered into the box on the left flank and squared in a low cross that was deflected into the path of Downey, who fired home to score and make it 2-0 in the 42nd minute.
In the second half, UWI came out with intensity with Zion Gollop being fed numerous balls down the middle, but the Wales defence, in addition to their reliable goalkeeper Kishmar Primus, made it a difficult task for UWI to score.
Wales weren’t denied much longer as Shaquille Stewart scored goal number three after some jostling inside the box and getting the ball past UWI goalkeeper Shaquan Phillips.
UWI did well to keep up the intensity, but Primus blocked shot after shot, denying the Prime Minister’s Cup champions. As dogged as they were in attack, on the defensive end, a lapse in concentration allowed Applewhaite to infiltrate and slot it home to make it 4-0 to the reigning champions.
Earlier, the opening match was simply a massacre as the St George outfit, Ellerton FC, hammered AU Silver Sands 8-2 with all eight of their goals coming in the first half.
Silver Sands’ Romario Bryan set the tone for the night with an own goal in the eighth minute. Rommel Bynoe then netted for Ellerton in the 13th, before Roshon Gittens scored in the 14th minute to make it 3-0.
Shaquille Belle made it 4-0 in the 18th minute before Bynoe scored again in the 28th and 29th minutes to complete his hat trick. Belle got his brace in the 32nd minute before Rashad Jules made it 8-0 in the 34th minute. Silver Sands managed two consolation goals in the 42nd and 68th minutes through Shakado Scott and Reuben Jacobs. (Dwayne Gibbs)
