National Under-23s in morale-boosting 2-1 win over T&T
By Isaiah Chappelle
Guyana Chronicle
November 1, 2003
THE National Under-23 squad yesterday registered a morale-boosting 2-1 victory over Caribbean powerhouses, Trinidad & Tobago, defying detractors in the first match of the Olympic football warm-up series at the GCC ground, Bourda.
Captain Shawn Beveney and Devon Millington netted the second half goals for Guyana, while Kerry Baptiste stitched in the one for the visitors.
Technical Director Neider Dos Santos told Chronicle Sport that the Trinidadians played a different game to the kind the local players were accustomed to.
“They sometimes used five midfields and the forwards were switching all the time. Our marking was not steady. But in the second half they improved a lot. Then we lost (Gregory) Richardson. It was hard to play that level of football with ten. However, with a little more patience, we could have scored more goals,” Dos Santos said.
However, the Brazilian was very critical of the officiating and disclosed that he intended to speak to the Guyana Football Federation about it.
“We need more experienced referee to do a match at this level. You can’t put someone who is learning the game,” Dos Santos said.
The technical director, however, pointed out that because this was a friendly game, Richardson should be playing tomorrow in the second match at the Blairmont Community Centre ground.
Richardson told Chronicle Sport that he questioned the referee about a foul blown against one of his team-mates and the official reached and flashed the red card to him. Asked if he cursed, he maintained that he could say he did not in front of the referee. Many spectators did not even see what transpired because it was so sudden.
Trinidadian coach Stuart Charles told Chronicle Sport that his charges played below their normal level.
“But I want to give Guyana credit. They deserve the victory,” Charles said.
The coach said the players looked a little jaded which could be the result of playing two matches each week with their clubs, then meet on Friday for Olympic training.
“This is their third game in a week. Some of them did not look as sharp as they are normally. We did not link up well enough and were not as consistent as we normally are,” Charles said.
But the visitors controlled the run of play for the first 20 minutes and aimed some eleven shots to goal against three for the hosts in the first half, with another seven in the second half. They also were awarded five free kicks against none for Guyana and seven corners against four. The visitors made three changes.
Goalkeeper Fidel Smith had a brilliant performance, along with the usual high standard from wingback Walter Moore and midfielder Dirk Archer, the trio being the most outstanding for the locals.
Smith executed some superb saves as Devon Mitchell had an almost free run through the midfield and through the left wing, easily getting past Travis Grant and Travis Waterton.
Guyana’s first good raid came in the 21st minute when Millington sent a pass to Richardson and the shot was deflected for a corner. Unfortunately, Millington shadowed Archer who was in a good position to finish the corner from the left flag taken by Waterton. But at halftime no goals materialised.
Then two minutes after the resumption, Richardson, at centre just outside the box, passed to Millington at right, who shook the defence and sent a flat right foot shot from ten metres to rock the southern net.
From there Guyana controlled the run of play although the visitors sent Smith diving 13 minutes in for a super save of a head-shot from five metres out with goal written all over it.
However, from 25 minutes in, the Trinidadian consistently raided through Waterton’s wing and in the 80th minute, Baptiste shot from the centre of box for the equaliser. Shortly after Richardson was red-carded.
Three minutes later, Beveney who had a terrible game, redeemed himself when Millington carried the ball on the left wing, crossed, Beveney collected, powered forward and shot on the run to put in the winning goal.
Then five minutes to game time, Sherwyn Cadogan was injured and brought off on a stretcher. Kelvin McKenzie took his place.
Waterton had a good run on the right wing, reaching the box, passed to Travis Grant who shot straight to the goalkeeper from close range.