Central Castries withstood a furious comeback attempt by Canaries in the second half and held on for a 2-1 win, in the finals of the St Lucia Football Association (SLFA) Inter-District Senior Men’s Competition at the Sab Sporting Facility on Sunday. Compared to last Sunday’s Under-20 final and third place playoff played at the same venue before a small group of spectators, this time around it was standing room only as a large crowd witnessed an exciting encounter between two heavyweights.
Central Castries Captain Germal Valcin dealt the first blow in the 15th minute after his free kick got past the goalkeeper. They made it 2-0 in the 33rd minute with Decoursey Simon headed the ball into the net.
Canaries eventually got on the scoreboard in the 38th minute courtesy of Central Castries goalkeeper Arthur Langelier’s own goal. Trailing 2-1 Canaries looked to tie the score on a penalty after one of their players was brought down in the box. However, Leslie Shepherd’s deflected off the crossbar and Langelier quickly pounced on it.
It was a wild and furious second half. Canaries came close on several occasions but were thwarted each time especially during the closing minutes when they had numerous corner kicks.
Commenting on the game Valcin said, “We showed how a final should be played. Both teams gave it all through the 90 minutes but I feel our first half was extremely, extremely, magnificent.”
Leading 2-0, Valcin felt his team let up a bit while trying to protect the lead which could have been costly.
He said: “It was a mistake on our part. You know being in the finals and up two goals you want to seal the game, it’s a common error but fortunately we were not punished for it and just conceded one goal.” The third place playoff between Anse La Raye and Mabouya Valley preceded the final. Mabouya Valley came out on top 2-1 with Leighton Sandiford and Anthony Mathew the goal scorers. Benjamin “Satan” Gabriel scored the lone goal for Anse La Raye.
During a presentation following the final, teams were presented with trophies and medals. SLFA President, Patrick Mathurin, presented the championship trophy to Central Castries, while Teresa Roslyn Tisson of Canaries who is the mother of the late Phillip Tission who died tragically while playing football in the United States, presented the trophy to second place Canaries.
General Secretary Samantha Narcisse presented the third place trophy to Mabouya Valley. At the SLFA office on Tuesday following a press conference, Central Castries received a $15,000 cheque for the victory, second place Canaries took home $10,000 while third place finishers Mabouya Valley pocketed $6,000.
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