Berbice Football Association’s Monedderlust claimed victory over Slingerz of West Demerara Football Association in the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Elite League Promotion Playoff final to secure the highly sought-after spot in the upcoming Elite League Season Six set to commence in February.
Fans witnessed Monedderlust’s triumphant return to the Elite League after a hiatus of several years at the Ministry of Education (MoE) Ground on Carifesta, Georgetown, on Sunday evening.
Monedderlust seized the night with Brentnol Frank’s incredible play, securing the sole goal merely four minutes after the starting whistle.
Throughout the match, Slingerz players had numerous near-goal opportunities. However, as the final whistle sounded, they were disappointed at missing out on the automatic elevation to the premier club league.
Slingerz have been given another opportunity to compete in this year’s Elite League.
They will now confront the struggling Victoria Kings, who finished second to last in the Elite League Season Five, in a battle for the coveted spot. The Victoria Kings are fighting tooth and nail to remain in the league.
Meanwhile, Monedderlust’s players and coaches celebrated their hard-earned victory with supporters, marking the culmination of weeks filled with intense and competitive football from the nine winners of the Member Associations’ Leagues.
During a post-game interview Monedderlust’s captain Paul McDonald shared that his team trained diligently throughout 2023 to be fully prepared to capitalise on the opportunity to return to the Elite League.
“I am very elated, very much elated. To be honest we worked for this throughout the year, we’ve been preparing for this moment and it’s a very good feeling that we’ve come out successful and back into the Elite League,” he said.
McDonald added that the Berbice side is committed to training rigorously and “executing every simple match at our best ability moving forward and becoming champions in the Elite League.”
Other participating clubs in the GFF Elite League Promotion Playoff were Beacons (Bartica Football Association), Beacon (Georgetown Football Association), Buxton Stars (East Coast Demerara Football Association), Dominator (Essequibo/Pomeroon Football Association), Herstelling Raiders (East Bank Demerara Football Association), Tabatinga (Rupununi Football Association) and Winners Connection (Upper Demerara Football Association).
Sunday’s opening match featured a showdown between the Guyana Defence Force and the Guyana Police Force in the Women’s League Division One, culminating in the former securing a 2-1 victory in a hard-fought encounter.
Glendy Lewis of the Guyana Defence Force initiated the scoring with a spectacular goal in the 20th minute, only to be matched by Annalisa Vincent’s equaliser in the 36th minute, leaving the teams tied as they headed into half-time.
However, Jalade Trim of the Guyana Defence Force, a prominent figure from the Lady Jag team, secured the winning goal in the 52nd minute, sealing the victory in a thrilling game.
Both matches were attended by GFF President Wayne Forde, GFF First Vice-president Brigadier (Ret’d) Bruce Lovell, General Secretary Ian Alves, Technical Director Bryan Joseph, and council member and President of the Women’s Football Association (WFA) Andrea Johnson.
President Forde congratulated both teams and thanked the fans for their continued support of club football which is integral to developing the game across Guyana.
“Congratulations to Monedderlust on their return to the GFF Elite League and to the Guyana Defence Force female team for their impressive win in the first match of the 2024 for the Women’s League Division One. Club football stands as a cornerstone in the development of the sport across Guyana.”
“The weeks of commitment and dedication shown by players, coaches, and officials indicate that we are moving in the right direction to fortify our national team programme, nurturing both the Golden Jaguars and Lady Jags,” the GFF top official shared. (GFF)
