Copyright virginislandsdailynews
Tortola side Islanders FC moved atop the British Virgin Islands Football Association’s National League men’s club standings after a Week 5 shakeup which saw just one team remain without a loss or draw. Islanders FC – now 4-0-0 (12 points) – took over the National League’s top spot after taking a 2-1 victory over defending league champion Virgin Gorda United (2-0-2, six points) on Saturday at the Virgin Gorda Recreation Grounds. The shakeup in the standings came about after previously-unbeaten Panthers FC (3-1-0, 10 points) battled to a 2-all draw against One Love United FC (1-1-3, four points) on Saturday at the A.O. Shirley Recreation Grounds on Tortola. Then, on Sunday at the A.O. Shirley Grounds, Lion Heart FC (3-1-1, 10 points) finished with a 2-2 draw against Rebels FC (2-1-1, seven points). Panthers FC and Lion Heart FC had been tied with Islanders FC and Wolues FC (3-0-1, nine points) atop the table entering this weekend’s matches. In Sunday’s other match at the Virgin Gorda Grounds, Sugar Boys FC (2-0-1, six points) took a 2-1 decision over winless Old Madrid FC (0-0-4). The fifth match on the National League schedule – Positive FC (0-0-3) against Avengers FC (0-0-4) – was stopped Sunday after a planned power outage cut the lights at the Virgin Gorda Grounds for nearly an hour. The match will resume on Saturday, Dec. 13, in the 12th minute with Avengers FC holding a 1-0 lead over Positive FC. More on Week 5’s matches: Panthers FC 2, One Love United FC 2: One Love United FC fought back from an early deficit to finish with a standings-altering draw over previously unbeaten Panthers FC. Romario Williams appeared to have given Panthers FC control of the match early, scoring both of the teams’ goals in the 11th and 13th minutes. But Dwayne Smith broke the shutout for One Love United FC with his goal in the 16th minute, and Tashan Wallace forged the draw with his penalty-kick goal in the 77th minute. One Love United played the entire second half a man down after Mervin Dainty was red carded for “serious foul play” in the 41st minute, and was without manager Damion Morgan after he was red carded in the 85th minute for “insulting and abusive language,” according to the match report. Lion Heart FC 2, Rebels FC 2: A late goal helped Lion Heart FC forge the weekend’s second draw against Rebels FC. Rebels FC had taken a 2-1 halftime lead thanks to a goal from Coann Lockhart in the 12th minute and a “own goal” by Lion Heart FC’s Claudius Felix in the 18th minute. That own goal came just a minute after Cee Jay Lampart scored in the 17th minute to even the match at 1-all for Lion Heart FC. However, Lion Heart FC came away with a draw after Treshorn Pope scored in the 85th minute. Islanders FC 2, Virgin Gorda United 1: Islanders FC remain undefeated after holding off a late run by Virgin Gorda United. Charles Bonnick scored twice for Islanders FC, putting home the first goal in the 59th minute, and the second in the 86th minute. Virgin Gorda United broke the shutout when Quelahni Nickie scored in the third minute of stoppage time. Sugar Boys FC 2, Old Madrid FC 1: Sugar Boys FC won its first match in three weeks, needing to hold off a second-half rally by Old Madrid FC to pull it off. Sugar Boys FC scored twice in a three-minute span late in the first half to take the lead, with goals by Derrol Redhead in the 39th minute and Devante Samuel in the 41st minute giving them a 2-0 halftime lead. But Old Madrid FC broke the shutout and made a charge in the second half on Richard Welcome’s goal in the 82nd minute.
