Mabouya run riot
By-: Robertson S. Henry

La Clery (yellow tops) were under constant pressure from the Mabouya Valley players

VIEUX-FORT, Saint Lucia – Two-time Blackheart Knockout Football Champions

Mabouya Valley made their intentions clear with a 6-nil drubbing of La Clery on

Friday evening at the George Odlum Stadium on day four, the final day of the

first round in the 2008 I.G.Y. Rodney Bay and Guinness-sponsored

Blackheart/Kashif and Shanghai Knockout Football Tournament.

According to one of the coaches Anthony ‘Meshach’ JnBpatiste at the post-match

press conference, it would be the third time that the Mabouya Valley will winning

the tournament if they win it this year, and the players are aware of that.

La Clery lost their front line goalkeeper in the first half, and not having a credible

second string due to he not participating in the training sessions, one of the

players were forced to take up duties between the uprights.

Anthony Mathews scored the first hat trick in this year’s tournament with goals in

the 24th, 36th, and 76th minutes, respectively.

Leton Sandiford, who tormented the opposition’s right flank, scored a brace in

the 50th and 61st minutes, while Percus Ettienne found the back of the nets in

the 60th in the evening’s opening game of the double header.

Though the La Clery team kept on attacking, the experience of the Mabouya

Valley players combined with the attacking mindset and preparation just made

the La Clery team game plan of little consequence.

In the second game, the defending champions Dennery, absent an influential

playmaker, struggled against South Castries. Levi Gilbert was a comedian on the

night as he was one of the actors in a comedy of errors.

Gilbert over ran the ball, over-tapped, mis-kick, lost his footing, as the defending

champions looked like a sad bunch of pre-schoolers rolling about in the

schoolyard. 

Gilbert had so many scoring opportunities that many were holding their breaths,

in anticipation of a South Castries backlash.

That did not come as Nyheme Gilbert in the 16th and then in the 69th to make a

come from behind victory for South Castries much more difficult.