Wins for Upper Demerara and Bartica in NAMILCO U-17 football

The Guyana Football Federation’s NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power Under-17 National Academy Playoff continued last weekend in Georgetown, Linden and Rosignol, resulting in two exciting wins from Upper Demerara and Bartica Football Associations.

Additionally, there were two draws, as the East Coast Football Academy drew with the National Under-15 team, and Berbice played to a draw with East Bank on November 11.

Supporters, including exciting parents, erupted in cheers as Upper Demerara secured a 1-0 victory over Essequibo with Joshua Fleming scoring a spectacular goal in the 19^th minute.

Determined to level the score, Essequibo threw everything they had at the unyielding winner’s solid defence, but Upper Demerara held their ground.

In yet another heart-pounding match, Bartica secured a thrilling 3-1 victory over West Demerara.

The excitement began when Ian Gomes opened the scoring in the 24^th minute with Shawn Bobb adding a sensational goal in the 35^th minute and Kyle Timmerman scoring in the 50^th minute.

West Demerara managed to spark some excitement of their own when Shekeel King scored a lone goal in the 80^th minute.

The East Coast and National Under-15 teams engaged in a thrilling contest that concluded with a 1-1 draw. The goals were netted by Bryan Wharton of East Coast Football Academy in the sixth minute and National Under-15 player Tyrell Walcott in the 83^rd minute of the game.

Lastly, the Berbice Football Association Academy and East Bank Football Association Academy also played to a 1-1 draw in another eventful Saturday for Guyana’s rising stars.

The NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power Under-17 National Academy Playoff is a vital component of the Academy Training Centre programme, which focuses on nurturing the talents of boys aged 14 to 17 years old.

This programme holds the prestigious status of being an approved ‘Generation Next’ FIFA development initiative.

The participating teams have been strategically organised into two dynamic groups. Group A includes Georgetown, East Coast, East Bank, the National Under-15 Team and Berbice, while Group B features Upper Demerara, Essequibo, Bartica and West Demerara.

As the tournament progresses through the round-robin phase, the most outstanding teams from each group will advance to the championship round.

They will then fiercely compete for the distinguished title of national champions, in what promises to be an electrifying showcase of young footballing talent.