Elite beats BT for Charity Shield

By Cayman Sports Buzz
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Updated: 9 October 2017

Back in 1990, LL Cool J hit listeners to his smash record ‘Mama Said Knock You Out’ by telling them “don’t call it a comeback; I’ve been here for years…” And it would be easy to understand if veteran forward Dwayne Wright had that playing on loop in his head after his two-goal performance in Elite Sports Club’s 4-1 win over Bodden Town Football Club in the Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA) Charity Shield on Sunday, 9 October.

With the game scoreless after the first half at the Annex, it was clear that the top two teams from the 2016/17 Cayman Premier League campaign would press hard for the lead in the final 45.

In sports, it often comes down to making the most of the opportunities presented to you and it was Wright, who for much of the first half looked a shadow of his former self, capitalized on such a chance in the 61^st minute.

“The ball was played through and two defenders collided. I [saw] that the ball was loose and I scooted over the defender. I only had one defender to beat and that was Blacka [Andre McFarlane]. He knows I’m left-footed, so he anticipated a left-footed shot. So, I cut in on my right. Then he got beaten and I said [Ramon] Sealy can’t save it if I put it far post and that’s what I did,” Wright said, recalling the goal that sparked boisterous celebrations including him getting a yellow card for removing his jersey.

Wright (10) is congratulated by Raul Rodriguez after his first goal.

So, it was Elite with the edge over the defending league and FA Cup champions but still thirsty for more scoring.

In the 69^th minute, Christopher Reeves, who was a constant threat up front, doubled the lead. Reeves was one-on-one with Bodden Town keeper Ramon Sealy, who pounced to deny the initial shot that ricocheted off the goal post and back into play. With the netminder on the turf, Reeves pressed ahead and tapped the ball in for the 2-0 advantage.

Four minutes later, it was Wright who found himself all alone with just Sealy to beat and put the left-footed shot into the back of the net to secure his brace and give Elite a 3-0 lead. “Finishing – I was born for it. In shape or out of shape, I know I will finish once I’m in the position. That’s not a doubt for me,” he said, explaining to his doubters that once he’s on the pitch, he’s always a threat to score.

Theron Wood got Bodden Town on the score sheet in the 91^st minute but by then the fat lady was already warming up her vocal chords. Substitute Andra Alexander added another for Elite in the 93^rd.

: Christopher Reeves was delighted with his goal.

: Andra Alexander gets some love from his teammates.

Vice-captain Wesley Robinson said their main focus was to control the game in the midfield to take away Bodden Town’s strength. “If you can take that away from them and utilise that for us, then we could take this game by the scruff of its neck.”

Elite captain Abijah Rivers said he was pleased with the effort the players put in, especially with several regular starters unavailable for action. “We came into the game missing a few good players, so our confidence level wasn’t that high…I preached to the team to just come in and give it a hundred percent and the best team will win,” he said.

“That first goal, I think it just depleted their team spirit and it just gave us the adrenaline to go on and we caught them at a vulnerable time,” added Rivers, who had a solid game in defence.

Both teams begin their regular season campaign next weekend. CaymanSportsBuzz.com will have a season preview with the opening weekend match-ups later in the week.