Bodden Town feels they are closing in on their first Premiership title after another solid performance, beating George Town, 2-0, and maintaining their four-point lead with only five games remaining.
Bodden Town’s reliable defender Yefry Calderon scored again, in the 54th minute, and Alex Belcher ensured the three points with a score in the 75th minute at the TE McField Annex on Sunday.
It was an all-round excellent performance by BT against a seasoned side that always pressed until the final whistle.
BT’s Kareem James made amends for the previous week, rarely putting a foot wrong in midfield and he was well supported by captain Jamaal Clarke, who had another eye-catching game in midfield, as did Jeronnie McLean.
Bodden Town’s youngsters are anxious to win the league, not just for personal satisfaction, but also as a tribute to Kareem James’s brother, Gerome “Bird” Graham, a teammate who died suddenly from an undetected enlarged heart while training last summer.
Reigning Premier League champs Scholars International have not given up and, if it comes down to scoring differential, they have a four-goal edge at the moment.
Scholars smashed six without reply past North Side thanks to Ziecko Herrera (21st minute), captain Oneil Taylor (37th, 85th), Carson Fagan (62nd, 68th) and Nahun Rodriguez (88th).
Elite lost ground, managing only a scoreless draw against bottom club Tigers, who have not won all season and only picked up their third point in 16 matches.
Cayman Athletic hit four without reply past Academy at the TE McField Annex with goals coming from David Connolly (18th), a spectacular 30-yarder from Kyle Santamaria (69th), Kyle Leon (70th) and Christopher Ebanks (78th).
Bodden Town have 41 points, Scholars are on 37, Elite have 35 and George Town are on 24. In fifth place are Academy on 18 points, the Cayman Athletic on 15 with North Side in seventh place on seven and Tigers at the bottom.
Three players top the scoring charts with 13 goals apiece, Dwayne “Gaza” Wright (Bodden Town), Mark Ebanks (Elite) and Nahun Rodriguez (Scholars). Elite’s Hank Parchment has scored 12 and Emmanuel Ricoh Brown of Academy and BT’s Alex Belcher have hit nine each.
Dougie Rowe, the Scholars International technical director, is impressed with how well Bodden Town have done this season.
“It is all left to Bodden Town if they can win their last five games but they still have to play us in the second to last game of the season,” he said. “Bodden Town have been playing tremendously well. I don’t know if they have had a bad game this season, but that might still come.
“We haven’t given up and even Elite can still mathematically win it,” Rowe said. “We’ve been scoring well the last few games and when we play Cayman Athletic this Sunday we will go in with the same mentality, to keep the spirit and momentum going.
“We have some players over the age of 28 and against teams like Athletic, Bodden Town, Academy and Elite, who tend have younger players who play at a faster tempo, we emphasise making the ball do the work. It has paid off.
“BT also still have Elite to play, so really their destiny is in their own hands,” he said.
At the BT field on Sunday, the 5pm match is between George Town and Academy, before BT take on Elite at 7pm. Meanwhile, at the TE McField Annex, Tigers face North Side before Scholars International take on Cayman Athletic.
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