The finalists for the 2024 Keith Gumbs U17 Tier 1 League and the Rams U13 Premier Youth Cup have been decided after thrilling semi-final encounters that delivered drama, heroics, and resilience from the young footballers.
The finals for both competitions will take place at the NBGC Technical Centre in St. Peters. The Keith Gumbs U17 Tier 1 League final is scheduled for Sunday, October 14, at 6 pm, while the Rams U13 Premier Youth Cup final will be held on Monday at 6 pm. Fans can expect intense competition as these young teams vie for championship glory.
In the Keith Gumbs U17 League semi-finals on Thursday, October 10, Dieppe Bay secured their place in the finals with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Newtown United. Dieppe Bay stormed to a 2-0 lead in the first half, putting Newtown under pressure. Newtown, however, rallied in the second half, pulling a goal back late in the match to make it 2-1. In a dramatic finish, Newtown earned a penalty in the dying moments, but Dieppe Bay's goalkeeper came up with a crucial save to preserve the win and send his team into the finals.
The other semi-final was a dominant display from Village Superstars, who came from 1-0 down against St. Peters FC to secure a 4-1 victory. Jermaine Powell was the hero of the match, scoring all four goals for Village, carrying his team to a commanding win. Village’s captain, Carl Newton, praised the resilience of his teammates and their determination to prove a point. “All weekend, we were focusing on beating them... we encouraged the players to go hard all the time, no matter what,” said Newton. He anticipates a tough battle in Sunday’s finals, describing it as an "intense and aggressive" contest. Newton also hopes his team can replicate their 2020 treble, with Village Superstars’ U15 team having already claimed the Atiba Harris U15 League title, and their U13 side set to compete in the Rams U13 Premier Youth Cup finals on Monday.
In the Rams U13 Premier Youth Cup semi-finals, Conaree Fireball International pulled off a stunning comeback against Saddlers Dream Chasers. Saddlers looked set for victory with a 2-0 lead well into the second half, but Conaree pulled one back and then conceded a third due to a defensive error, making it 3-1. Undeterred, Conaree staged a remarkable recovery, scoring two quick goals to level the match and send it to penalties, where they held their nerve to book their place in the finals.
The other U13 semi-final saw Village Superstars secure a comfortable 3-1 victory over Dieppe Bay, sealing their spot in Monday’s final and giving the club a chance at another youth title this season.
It was a goal fest in the NBGC Premier League on the weekend with a total of 26 goals scored among the five matches on the cards.
The Premier League moved to the NBGC Technical Center on Friday June 21, when Azul Cayon Rockets crushed demoted Trafalgar Southstars 5-0.
The goals came from Devontay Carty in the 24th minute, Vinceroy Nelson in the 31st minute, Evansroy Barnes one minute before halftime, Jahmarli Connor in the 63rd minute and Shaqkeem Butler six minutes later.
After the match, Coach Anthony Nets Isaac of Cayon said he is satisfied with the win, though he was hoping to score more goals in the event goal difference plays a role in the playoff positions.
“At training and coming to the game, we decided we had to get at least seven to eight goals. Because remember the second-place team, which is (Old Road) have been scoring goals regularly, and they are way ahead in goals. But for us to catch up, depending on how the table stand, we want to be there when it comes to goal averages...we didn't get the amount that we wanted, but we're satisfied still,” Isaac said.
Manager of Trafalgar Southstars, Akins Phillip said with his team relegated to Division 1, he is aiming for his team to earn some points before the end of the season.
“The plan for the rest of the season is to try and get some points. We can't leave without getting at least three or six points. We're going to try our best,” Phillip said.
On Saturday June 22, DBSKN St. Peters FC, edged Honda Newtown United 3-2, to maintain their spot in the Final Four playoff race.
St. Peters took the lead in the sixth minute through Devion Harvey before, eight minutes into the second half, Jabari Isaac equalized for Newtown.
Shaquille Barzey and Dionis Stephens scored in the 62nd and 68th minutes, respectively, to put St. peters up 3-1 before Shamar Powell gave Newtown hope of a comeback with eight minutes to go.
In Saturday’s second game, S.L Horsfords St. Paul’s United came from 2-0 down to earn a 2-2 draw with MFCR Old Road United Jets.
Goals from Tiquanny Williams in the 34th minute and Geovanni Lake four minutes later gave Old Road a 2-0 lead going into the halftime interval.
Keithroy Freeman cut the lead in half for St. Paul’s in the 67th minute before Petrez Williams secured a point for his side in the 90th minute.
Captain of Old Road Jets Nequan Browne explained that the team lost concentration and managed the game poorly which led to them giving up the 2-0 lead.
“We lost concentration in the game. Time management was a problem with us. We should have managed the ball better, move it around better, instead of playing into St. Paul's hands. I just feel like the inexperience of the team, maybe took a toll on us. But we will regroup and come again,” Browne said.
Jamal Jeffers, goalkeeper for St. Paul’s spoke to his team’s resilience, which spurred them to walkway with a point from a losing position.
“A lot of fans know it and the community of St. Paul's knows that St. Paul don't go out without a fight. Many times, we have been in this position but we kept our cool. We concede two early goals but regardless, that's how football goes. We just have to keep calm, we just have to continue playing. Coach talked to us; we made some tactical changes and came out and played a way better second half and we managed to get away with a draw,” he said.
On Sunday June 23, Tropical Blossom Hotsprings Bath United made its claim for a spot in the playoffs when they defeated SKELEC Garden Hotspurs 2-1.
Spurs took the lead in the 23rd minute though a Justin Claxton own goal before Aljay Newton equalized for Bath two minutes later.
Bath’s winning goal came from Jeremy Richards six minutes into the second half.
Richards was very satisfied with the performance of his teammates and the result of the match.
“I think we've had a desire to come and perform as a team. We have some goals to meet for the season and that has been our main focus. So, it was an important three points...and we move forward,” Richards said.
Spurs Coach George “Yellowman” Isaac said he is doing his best to motivate the players as they are facing the unprecedented situation of relegation from the premier league.
“That's a hard one, but I try my best every day to motivate these players every day in training. To work hard, to play hard, because the position we in, we’ve got to make sure we come out, but it’s just getting harder and harder,” Isaac said.
The final match of the weekend was an exciting nine goal thriller as defending champions Rams Village Superstars came from 1-0 down to win 5-4 against Conaree.
Village went up 3-1 at half time, with a brace by the league’s leading goal scorer Kimaree Rogers in the 23rd and 36th minutes and a goal from Dahjal Kelly in the 33rd minute in response to a 20th minute strike from Conaree’s Errol O’Loughlin.
Caaja Burnham made it 4-1 in the second half in the 58th minute, but O’Loughlin led the Conaree fightback, rounding out his hat trick in the 70th and 74th minutes.
Samani Williams, however, extended Village’s lead in the 80th minute but Conaree, not to be outdone, scored a 4th goal in the 7th minute of stoppage time before the match ended 5-4.
Coach Stephen Clarke of Village said the win was a show of the heart and grit of his team, but they must do a better job defensively.
“Certain parts of how we play, especially in the first half, the chances we created, moments on the ball; it's been missing for quite a while. With that said though, giving up four goals, it was, I must say, uncalled for. We didn't see out the game,” Clarke commented.
Assistant Coach of Conaree Sven Korte, said despite the loss, he is proud of his players.
“I'm proud of my team. They've given everything. Congratulations to Rams Village Superstars. Great performance; the win is okay, because overall I think pass accuracy, speed of players, and bridging the midfield was definitely in their favor,” he said.
The NBGC Premier League is on a break this week due to the St. Kitts Music Festival, but the teams return to action in the first weekend of July at the NBGC Technical Center.
S L Horsfords St. Paul’s United maintained their lead at the top of the National Bank Group of Companies Premier League table with a 2-0 win over Honda Newtown United on Sunday March 24th at Warner Park, despite going down to ten men when Omar Francis was issued a red card late in the first half.
St. Paul’s have 12 points, winning all four of their Premier League matches thus far.
The goals came from Nicquan Phipps in the fourth minute and Kalonji Clarke in the 45th minute.
The St. Paul’s match was part of a rare triple header on Sunday; the first ending 6-0 to SOL IAS Conaree FC over Trafalgar Southstars; their first win of the season.
The goals came from Errol O’Loughlin in the 24th minute, Jahquan Hendrickson in the 28th minute, Byron Phillip in the 46th minute, Tijani Fahie in the 50th minute, Quanieki Clarke in the 64th minute and Shawn Martin (pk) in the 90th +3 minute.
The second match saw Flow 4G Cayon Rockets also earning their first win of the season with a come from behind to defeat Hotsprings Bath United 2-1.
Venreece Richards gave Bath United the lead in the 53rd minute before Cayon Rockets equalized 23 minutes later through Vinceroy Nelson. Five minutes later, Shaheem Prentice got the winner.
On Saturday March 23, SKELEC Garden Hotspurs and MFCR Old Road United Jets came to a goalless draw, while Development Bank St. Peters FC delivered a shocked 3-2 come from behind win against defending champions Rams Village Superstars.
Jayan Duncan (10th minute), Kadeem Rawlins (72nd minute) and Shavene Boston (89th minute) got the goals for Hotspurs while the St. Peters goals came from Joseph Wilkes in the 18th minute and Kimaree Rogers in the 52nd minute.
The National Bank Group of Companies Premier League continues on March 27th and 28th ahead of the Easter weekend.
St. Peters FC’s six-game winning streak was broken on Friday when MFCR Old Road United Jets overcame a deficit to defeat them 4-1 in Verchilds in round two action of the SKNFA Premier League.
Tyquan Terrel put St. Peters ahead in the 28th min and they led for the rest of the first half. The second half, however, was all Old Road.
Tiquanny Williams started the comeback with a penalty in the 52nd minute and followed that up with a second goal in the 20 minutes later to give Old Road the lead before Kaylon Liburd scored a third in the 75th minute. Captain Nequan Browne completed the goalscoring in stoppage time.
Old Road coach, Alexis Morris, credited his team for their fight and resolve in the second half to claim a resounding victory.
“At the end of the first (half), we should not have been 1-0 down with (Tiquanny) getting in front of the goal. On any day he would have been scoring those goals. Nonetheless, we kept working and we dug deep and we found a way back, like I asked them to…I know we were going to get one back within the first 10 minutes and that set up the game for us,” Morris said.
Coach Austin Huggins of St. Peters said the team was unable to refocus after having a goal they scored early in the match, ruled out for offside.
“First of all, let me congratulate OR for scoring four goals. I think that the game was a good game. We had opportunities to score as early as couple of seconds after the game started, but the goal was disallowed and I think that the referee made some very difficult decisions that worked hard against us, broke our momentum, and put us in a very unfavorable position,” Huggins said.
In the day’s earlier match, league leaders Flow 4G Cayon Rockets comfortably defeated Jones Group Sandy Point FC 3-0, also in Verchilds.
Raheem Davis scored for Cayon in the 4th minute, Kavon Phillip scored a Sandy Point own goal in the 10th minute and Devontay Carty scored Cayon’s third in the 64th minute.
Coach Al Edwards of Cayon said despite the win, his team needs to do a better job in finishing their crosses.
“I like the fact that we got down the wings, which is one of our strengths. I like the fact we are putting in the crosses, but I don’t like the fact that we are not finishing those crosses,” he said.
Shaquan Pemberton a player with Sandy Point bemoaned his team’s loss at the bottom of the table.
“We started the game wrong and we didn’t commit to the plays and (Cayon) capitalized on it,” Pemberton said.
Fast Cash Saddlers FC suffered a 4-1 loss to Rams Village Superstars on Saturday at the St. Paul’s playing field.
Glenville Gumbs gave Saddlers a rare early lead in the 18th minute but that was soon erased when Village won a penalty, which was converted by G’vaune Amory in the 32nd minute.
In the second half, it was more Village, again earning another penalty, this time converted by Joseph Wilkes in the 60th min. Kimaree Rogers then got two breakaway runs, scoring both in the 73rd and in stoppage time.
Assistant Coach for Village, Vaughn Patrick, said they had a slow start, but they encouraged the players to keep pushing.
“We had a slow start; the fellows went out a little flat-footed. We went behind, we encouraged them, talked to them. We put in the fighting spirit. We got one goal; one led to two, two led to three, three led to four. We just keep on the pressure on them and play a little faster. We were too slow in the beginning,” Patrick said.
Coach of Saddlers Samuel Phipps said some tough calls by the referees, affected their ability to get a positive result. He said they will have to work hard now to get some wins under their belt.
“We played most of the difficult teams in the first half of the second round and then we intend to go back again and work hard and try to get some wins under our belt,” Phipps said.
In the next match-up, S L Horfords St. Paul’s United and Newtown United drew 1-1. Deneilson Thomas of Newtown gave the East Basseterre outfit the lead before April’s player of the month, Keithroy Freeman, equalized moments later heading in a corner.
Coach Anthony “Nets” Isaac of Newtown was pleased with the performance but said more work must be done defensively.
“I am about 80 percent satisfied, counting the last game we played against St. Paul’s. I think we did much better defensively, even though we gave up that soft goal,” Isaac said.
Manager of St. Paul’s, Austin Lewis, said the result is better than a loss.
“I appreciate the point,” he said.
Sunday’s action saw SOL IAS Conaree FC and Bath United earning crucial wins at Warner Park.
Conaree edged Hobson Enterprises Garden Hotspurs 2-1. Errol O’Loughlin scored both of Conaree’s goals from the penalty spot in the 38th and 71st minutes, while the lone goal from Spurs came from Steve Archibald in the 42nd min.
Coach of Conaree Al Richards said it was an important win for them.
“It was a dog fight. I told my team that it was a derby…this win was needed tonight in order to get up back in the table in the top six. The guys came out and performed, fight to the end and I must say congrats to my team,” Richards said.
Hotspurs coach, Stephen Brown, said the performance of his team was good but it was unfortunate they were unable to get the win.
“The performance of the guys wasn’t bad at all. They really put in a shift. We had some unfortunate calls that went against us that I felt decided the game but outside of that, I am content with the performance of the team,” Brown said.
In Sunday’s earlier match, Bath United trounced Security Forces FC 4-0. Goals were scored by Kenaicy Dorsett, Jalden Meyers, Omarion Bartlette, and Jahmal Lewis in the 19h, 1st minute of first-half stoppage time, 62nd and 81st minutes respectively.
St. Peters FC continued their impressive winning run in the 2023 SKNFA Premier League, racking up their 6th consecutive win after coming from behind to defeat Jones Group Sandy Point FC 2-1 on Sunday at Warner Park.
Sandy Point took the lead through T'Ondre Rouse in the 7th minute before Shomari Hanley equalized for St. Peters 10 minutes before halftime. Shevene Boston got the winner in the 69th minute.
In the second match of Sunday’s doubleheader, MFCR Old Road United Jets and Rams Village Superstars drew 1-1. Jardel Isaac got the goal for Old Road in the 9th minute before Dahjal Kelly equalized for Rams Village in the 22nd minute.
With this weekend’s results, Cayon Rockets remain at the top of the table, but only by three points as defending champions S L Horfords St. Paul’s United have narrowed the gap.
Cayon has 33 points from 14 matches while St. Paul’s United has 30 points. St. Peters are among the biggest movers as they are now in 3rd spot with 27 points after racking up six consecutive wins.
Old Road Jets remain in 4th with 24 points, Newtown United in 5th with 22 points, and Village Superstars in 6th with 21 points. Conaree FC are in 7th with 20 points and a game in hand, Garden Hotspurs are in 8th with 15 points, and Bath United is in 9th with 15 points.
In the relegation zone are Saddlers FC, Security Forces FC, and Sandy Point FC with 11, 5, and 2 points respectively.
Hat-trick hero Keithroy Freeman led S L Horsfords St. Paul’s to a 4-0 victory over Fast Cash Saddlers United on Saturday in the first 2023 SKNFA Premier League fixture to play on the island of Nevis. The match was the first of a doubleheader at the Nevis Athletics Stadium in Long Point.
Freeman’s goals came in the 45th, 46th and 79th minutes while the fourth goal came through Keshorne Warde in stoppage time.
Taju Clarke, a player with St. Paul’s, said the team prevailed despite not playing their very best.
“The performance you saw today was an overall good performance because we scored four goals and kept a clean sheet. There were instances when the game dropped off but our team, even though we fall off, we can regroup and score as many goals as possible,” he said before noting that the approach going forward would be to take it one game at a time.
He also had high marks for the Nevis Athletics Stadium as a venue for Premier League matches.
“The field is much better than most fields…despite it being open…it’s still a good venue,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Coach of Saddlers United, Samuel Phipps, suggested the performance of his team was below par.
“It was a really bad off day for us today. We lost 4-0. Nevertheless, I have to thank the guys for trying their best but again we gave up a soft goal just before halftime, and as soon as the second half began we gave up another soft goal, and that has been the trend since the first round. It was a tough loss,” Phipps said.
Meanwhile, Bath United eked out a 1-1 draw with league Leaders Flow 4G Cayon Rockets in front of a Nevisian crowd for the first time this season.
After a goalless first half, Malik Hendrickson gave Cayon the lead in the 74th minute before, eight minutes later, Jalden Myers converted a penalty to level proceedings.
Cayon Coach, Al Edwards, said the match was a tale of two halves.
“In the first half, we got frustrated and went away from the game plan. At half time we were able to look at some of the points that we needed to do and controlled much of the second half. The second half really belonged to us but we weren’t able to create much of the opportunities that we wanted,” he said, noting that it’s back to the drawing board for their next match.
Coach Alex Claxton of Bath said it was important that the team picked up results from this match in front of the Nevisian fans.
“I think that it was very, very important that we pick up points from this game, knowing that it’s our first game at home,” he said. “This is something we were looking forward to and we are happy with the turnout and we wanted to make sure we didn’t disappoint our fans and our supporters,” he said.
The matches on Friday between Security Forces FC and Hobson Enterprises Garden Hotspurs and SOL IAS Conaree FC and Newtown United both ended in 0-0 draws.
There were wins for Flow 4G Cayon Rockets, MFCR Old Road United Jets and S.L. Horsfords St. Paul’s United, as round two action continued Saturday and Sunday in the 2023 SKNFA Premier League.
Firstly, on Saturday, Flow 4G Cayon Rockets secured a 4-0 win over Security Forces.
Goals from Devontay Carty in the 27th minute and Carlos Bertie in the 30th and 33rd gave the Rockets a 3-0 lead at halftime before a Shaqkeem Butler 63rd minute strike completed the scoring.
In the other Saturday game, MCFR United Old Road Jets overcame a 0-1 halftime deficit to beat Newtown United 2-1.
Shaheem Prentice gave Newtown the lead in first half stoppage time before a double from Tiquanny Williams in the 51st and 55th minutes gave the Jets the win.
On Sunday, Fast Cash Saddlers and Sol Island Conaree played out a 1-1 draw.
After a scoreless first half, Tijani Fahie opened the scoring for Conaree in the 62nd minute before Navaldo Champagne equalized for Saddlers 12 minutes later.
Saddlers coach, Samuel Phipps, was pleased with his team’s performance, despite giving up a soft goal early in the second half.
“Unfortunately, we went behind again with what I think was a soft goal, but nevertheless, traits of a good team, we always come back and try to level the score so I am pleased with the guys and their performance,” Phipps said.
Coach Al Richards of Conaree was disappointed as he felt his team should have won the match.
“I am very disappointed today in giving up these points today. I think it was a game for us to win. We didn’t defend well the set piece from Saddlers and gave up a goal. This was a chance to go up the table, maybe to 4th position but we slipped it up again,” Richards said.
In Sunday’s second game, SL Horsfords St. Paul United secured a 2-0 win over Jones Group Sandy Point.
A 54th minute penalty from Keithroy Freeman and a goal from Diandre Challenger in the 78th minute secured the win after a scoreless opening half.
Manager of St. Paul’s, Austin Lewis, was not impressed with the performance of his team.
“The performance was not the best. I was not impressed with the performance today. I think we dropped our standard,” Lewis said.
Sandy Point player, Shaquan Pemberton, said the team played well but made a couple of mistakes, which cost them the match.
“I feel like the team played well today. Just a couple mistakes we made. Next time, we must come out and do what we do again,” Pemberton said.
On Friday, St. Peters FC scored a 2-1 win over Hobson Enterprises Garden Hotspurs.
St. Peters took the lead in the 30th minute through Shevene Boston. 52 minutes later, Spurs thought they rescued a point when Steve Archibald got their equalizer before St. Peters snatched victory five minutes later through Tyquan Terrell.
St. Peters Coach, Austin Dico Huggins, said despite this win, they still have a long way to go.
“The second round started today for us. We had a very interesting game…we had a training session yesterday and we were able to put some of the things that we did in training in order to be successful in the game. I think the game was very competitive and we managed to win the game. We are going to keep working because we have a long way to go,” Huggins said.
Assistant Coach of Spurs, Rohan Browne, said this result is disappointing.
“We worked hard to come back in the second half to equalize the game,” he said, calling the penalty call a “contentious” one.
“It’s disappointing and we worked hard,” he added.
In the earlier match up, Rams Village Superstars won by default as their opponent Bath United did not show up for the game.
SOLIAS Conaree FC started off their 2023 SKNFA Premier League campaign with a 2-0 victory over St. Peters FC at the Verchilds playing field on Saturday evening.
Byron Phillip opened the scoring in the 36th minute with Anthony Grant applying the second in the 87th minute to seal the victory. Coach Al Richards said after he was pleased with the win despite his team not performing to its best.
“Congrats to my team for winning a 2-nil victory,” he said.
“My thoughts on the game are simple; the first game of the season, we didn't really get it right, but we got the victory."
Meanwhile, Coach Austin Dico Huggins of St. Peters said his team failed to take the chances they created.
“I think we need to be more lethal in the attacking third of the field and we need to concentrate more on the job, especially on the game plan that is laid out," Huggins said.
"That's all we need to work on and get more involved mentally; because it is important that we remember everything that we need to do, in which area of the field that we need to do it and we need to play harder, more intense; a lot more running off the ball, so therefore we need to get fitter."
In the second match of the day, defending champions S.L. Horfords St. Paul’s United were held to a 0-0 draw by home side MFCR Old Road United Jets.
Both teams created few chances but failed to make them count.
In the matches played on Friday (Feb. 10), S-Krave Newtown United and Hobson Enterprises Garden Hotspurs both recorded their first wins of the new season.
Newtown brushed aside Hotsprings Bath United 5-1 with goals coming from Sylvester Caines in the 13th minute and D'Jaun Warner in the 35th minute.
Leranje Liburd added a third 56th minute and Kennedy Rodriguez made it 4-0 from the penalty spot in the 59th. Akimba Lawrence scored the fifth in the 87th minute before Phillron Lavia got a consolation from the spot 90th minute.
Anthony “Nets” Isaac, who has returned as the coach for Newtown and he was happy with Friday’s result.
On the other hand, Coach of Bath Alex Claxon, said the players are finding their groove, seeing this was the first match, but promised some adjustments for the next match.
Meanwhile, Spurs edged newly promoted Jones Group Sandy Point FC 2-1.
Steve Archibald opened the scoring in the 19th minute with Valmon Jeffers adding a second from the penalty spot in the 60th minute.
Shaquan Pemberton scored a consolation in stoppage time.
Spurs Head Coach Steven Brown said the win was a good one, considering the challenges they endured with match conditions. “We executed well enough. There were some challenges that we faced coming out here; the size of the field was a bit smaller so we couldn’t execute our game plan to the fullest, but nonetheless, the guys adjusted enough,” he said.
“We were able to capitalize on our chances and scored a few goals. We got the three points, which is what we came here for.”
The upcoming Premier League fixtures this weekend will be played in Cayon, Newtown and Warner Park.
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