Tortola U15s and U17s emerged victorious after the second legs of the BVI Football Association’s Talent BVI Inter Center games on Saturday, November 7 at the Virgin Gorda Recreation Ground.
Both games fulfilled all the hype and expectation as first the very well-prepared VG U15 team gave their Tortola counterparts a few nervous moments in a much more competitive game before losing 1-3 (2-6 on aggregate over both legs).
Rush Broderick, with two goals and Omari Simmonds were finally able to ensure the result went the way of Tortola, but Emmanuel Etienne’s goal kept his team in with a chance right to the end.
The VG U17s had also done their homework having lost the first leg 2-1, by virtue of their away goal and needed just a 1-0 win at home to be victorious in the tie.
However, despite restricting Tortola to very few chances, they were unable to capitalize on the opportunities they created, and an extremely competitive game ended in stalemate at 0-0. Tortola grabbed the bragging rights, winning 2-1 on aggregate.
According to Coach Tinnie Percival, “it was good to see how well the VG teams looked tactically and technically and they had obviously put in a lot of hard work. The U15 game was much closer than the score line suggested and both the U17s teams played with good purpose and determination. The game could have gone either way, with chances being missed at both ends from start to finish.”
Percival concluded that all teams have shown good progress and encouraged both players and coaches to continue putting in the work. The sentiments were echoed by the BVIFA Technical Director, Mr. Dan Neville, who noted that it was great to see the program back up and running following a break during lockdown.
“Talent BVI is our national centre to define, nurture and develop talented players on the islands,” said Neville. “It bridges the gap between grass roots football and national team selection and is a vital component of our football strategy. These games marked the restart of the program to assess where players were in their journey and there were some great performances all round which is pleasing.”
