Matchday Seven Review

A tense week this time out in the Caribbean Mega League and goals weren’t the easiest to come by during Matchday Seven. With every team in the league ending the weekend in a different position to the one they started in, there was an element of the form books being thrown out of the window as both of the bottom two sides grabbed crucial wins and clean sheets to ensure

that there is still only a nine point gap between first and twelfth place. Breaking it down further, the top half of the table are all within five points of each other, whilst the bottom six can only be separated by two points.

We start our roundup at ArenArubA as Max Alderson’s high-flying Ajax Oranjestad hosted Haiti’s Vodou People in front of a full-house crowd. The home side started the day in third whilst the Party People were fifth, but ultimately it would be the visitors who grabbed their third victory in four games as Yves Dorimain continued his rich vein of form by finishing off from six-yards out following on from a great bit of link-up play between Philippe Cadet and Charlemagne Chaderson on the right-wing. This goal, just ten minutes before the break, would see Liam Knapton’s side to the three points and for the first time since the opening day of the season the Vodou People find themselves in the top four. Truth be told, Oranje Boys never really got into the right gear on this sweltering afternoon and despite Alderson stating in his post-match interview that he’d set up the perfect team for this big occasion, the fact that his side only registered two shots on target will likely see Oranjestad slip further down the table and into their preseason predicted place in the bottom half.

Another big away victory came in the day’s action as Trinidad & Tobago outfit Limbo Leopards got their second win of the season, off the back of last weekend’s at home to Dominica Dominoes, by coming out 2-0 winners over free-falling Spicy Doves. The match was even in parts, with a total of twenty-seven shots shared amongst both sides at Grenada’s Cécille Stadium, but second-half goals from a Jamal Creighton tap-in and Sean Narcis’ first for the club made sure that Will Clark’s resurgence continued. It really was a great game of football and every player put their body on the line in one of the league’s best games to date. The result still leaves both sides in the lower regions of the table, but if they can play like they did today then there must be more points for both to pick up in the coming weeks.

Republican Rabbits were the third and final team to grab an away day win, as they dominated Bermuda Tempest in a game that ended 3-1 at The Hidden Ground. Each of the three home wins of the weekend all came in a single goal format with Bajan Boppers, Moko-Jumbies FC and Suriname Sharks all claiming vital points against Jamrock Juniors, Dominica Dominoes and Redonda Rockys respectively. The big shock was seeing Jamrock have a five game winning streak ended against the bottom side in Barbados, a result that helped to see the Rabbits end the day at the head of the table.

Another big week is already brewing though and a chance for the standings to change again. Jamrock Juniors host Bermuda Tempest, Republican Rabbits will welcome Suriname Sharks, Spicy Doves will fly over to Vodou People, whilst pals Andy Baxter and Max Alderson do battle with their sides Redonda Rockys and Ajax Oranjestad. Elsewhere, strugglers Dominica Dominoes and Bajan Boppers will go head-to-head and Limbo Leopards will be aiming for a third straight win against Moko-Jumbies FC, who could go top if results go their way.