X-Roads, Colts poised for top-of-table clash
Unbeaten Premier Division leaders X-Roads Warriors will be hoping to solidify their position at the summit when they host rejuvenated Devonshire Colts at St David’s tomorrow.
Farid El Karfa’s team have raised eyebrows on their return to the top flight, having taken ten points from their opening four league fixtures to lead the league on goal difference from fellow unbeaten side Dandy Town.
Victory over visiting Colts would send X-Roads three points clear of the chasing pack as Town’s fixture against champions North Village has been postponed owing to the protracted dispute between the Bermuda Football Association and BAA, proprietor of Goose Gosling Field.
The task facing X-Roads will not be easy, as Colts are riding a two-game winning streak with confidence sky-high after dispatching Dudley Eve Trophy finalists St George’s Colts 4-0 in their previous outing.
“It was nice to have back-to-back victories,” Colts coach Ray Jones told The Royal Gazette.
“We challenge the players to try and be consistent with positive results this year. The new challenge is, can we go three in a row against the league leaders on the road.
“We have one more session to go over a few final points, and hopefully that’s enough for us to have another good performance.”
With victory, Jones’s team who sit in third a point adrift, can leapfrog their opponents into first place.
Cougars will also be keen to maintain their winnings ways when they host PHC Zebras in a mid-table clash at Devonshire Recreation Club tomorrow. It is a repeat of the Dudley Eve Trophy semi-final where Mark Mills’s team won on penalties to secure their spot in the November 9 final.
Mills may be forced to tweak his starting XI as experienced defender Jecoa Thomas went off with a pulled hamstring in the hard-fought 4-3 win at home to Young Men’s Social Club on Monday night.
Zebras were held to draws in their previous two outings, with their only win to date coming against St George’s in their league opener.
Cecoy Robinson’s team sit in fourth, a point ahead of fifth-place Cougars, who have a game in hand with bottom side Boulevard.
Tomorrow’s remaining Premier Division clash will see lowly Social Club and St George’s do battle at Police Field.
Bluebirds, second from bottom, sit in the relegation zone on two points with Blazers and have yet to pick up their first win.
St George’s may be through to an early-season final, but have yet to replicate that form in the league. Drewonde Bascome’s team are eighth on three points with one win.
The visiting side could be in for another long afternoon on a difficult playing pitch against a Social Club side that demonstrated plenty of character and determination in the narrow loss to Cougars.
The match between Boulevard and Paget Lions was the first of this matchweek to be postponed because no alternative could be found to Goose Gosling Field.
Three First Division fixtures are slated for tomorrow, with unbeaten leaders Somerset Trojans hosting struggling Hamilton Parish at Somerset Cricket, St David’s Warriors at home to Wolves, and Vasco squaring off against Southampton Rangers at Police Field.
The match between Robin Hood and Somerset Eagles has been postponed for a second time because of insufficient referees.
