History Made In First Ever Guantanamo Derby

Wednesday, 5th May 2010

Guantanamo Fans were left emotionally drained in Wednesday nights clash with Racing and Sporting battling it out in the first ever Kruger Bowl in honour of Francois “The Rock” Kruger. The cries of joy were evident pre match and will remain etched in our hearts forever. The great man putting on the gloves and shin pads for one final time and pledged his undying love for the club that sees him immortalised in “Legend” status for eternity. 

You could cut the air like a knife as both teams warmed up pre game, the hearts of a passionate group of players led to nervous tension as teams stood tall before the whistle. Game on. Both teams were confident at kick off and Raiko “twinkle toes” Kiudmaa pushed hard to gain the advantage, but it was Sporting who gained control early through Luke “my ball” Turner and a fired up Martin “Hamish” Whittaker who later in the half was controversially given a on spot penalty for a supposed hand ball, but nerves got to the big guy and he failed to put the ball in the back of the net and sent it flying into the car park. Sporting regrouped and slotted a couple more and an upset was brewing. Thank “Dynamite” U Tan was pivotal down back and midfield for Sporting and his work rate was unmatched for Racings forwards. Gareth “Orange Gaz” Vickery had a chance early and was open near goal after some lovely passing through the midfield but no left foot sent the ball wide of Seby “I have gloves” Parasilliti. Defensive blunders by Racing saw Sporting unmarked had them smash more goals. Some sublime skills from “The Rock” in Racing's goal was a reminder that he still has got what it takes. Sporting pushed hard. The pressure mounted and the fancied Racing was down at the break 5-2 and somewhat stunned at their compatriots efforts.

Ryan “C’mon On” Platten pleaded with his chargers to get back on track while Andy “Smug” Smyth was quietly settling down his men and not let the advantage slip. “The Rock” went to Sporting's goal but was tight lipped about what was said in both huddles at the drinks break. Racing came back in the second half and momentum swung their way. After a heavy knock from Tim “Kick your Arse” Gray saw Ben “Barnstorming” Jones yet again send balls wayward, skyward and nearly backboard-ward. Racing snatched a couple of goals early plus a bonus own goal by Chris “Oops” Hingston in a goal mouth scuffle, but overall could not buy a goal after much offensive press. Sporting held out a determined Racing with a couple of there own deep into the second half and the men from Sporting were triumphant and Racing in despair in the first Kruger Bowl.

Tears flowed of pleasure and pain at the match ceremony. Thank “Number One” U Tan won the Bled on Ground goblet for his tremendous effort. Fans and players embraced each other, brothers in arms. This was history in the making. Bleed Orange.

FINAL SCORE

Sporting Guantanamo AFC 7 - 4 Racing Guantanamo

SPORTING GUANTANAMO MATCHDAY SQUAD

Andy SMYTH, Luke TURNER, Tim GRAY, Terry RAGOONANAN, Seby PARASILITI, Martin WHITTAKER, Chris HINGSTON, Thank U-TEN, Francois KRUGER

RACING GUANTANAMO MATCHDAY SQUAD

Ryan PLATTEN, Martin KESSLER, Gareth VICKERY, Ben JONES, Raiko KIUDMAA, Reno KURGG, Kait LOKK, Francois KRUGER

ALTERNATIVE MATCH REPORT
By Erin McDermott

The long awaited Guantanamo Derby did not disappoint with both teams keen to prove their worth. Fans flocked to see the return of Guantanamo legend Francois ‘the Rock’ Kruger, who made a rare appearance in goal specifically for the Derby. The game kicked off enthusiastically with a few early shots on goal from both sides. It was Sporting Guantanamo’s Martin Whittaker who broke the stalemate and slammed one past Kruger. The Rock was kept on his toes with a chance attempt from Sporting’s Luke Turner. Sporting’s celebrations were cut short with a swift equaliser from Racing’s Reno. Sporting fought back with two chances from Turner one of which was kicked out of the danger zone by Racing’s Orange Gaz. Gaz continued in fine form with a kick in that lined up Reno for his second goal of the evening putting Racing in front. Sporting in their fighting spirit kept the pressure on with Whittaker missing a penalty, awarded after he took a knock from the Rock’s fist on his head. Turner had a near miss before his perseverance paid off with him netting the equaliser. The pace of the game seemed to get the better of Sporting with players desperately scrambling all over the pitch. Their lack of form could have had disastrous results with a stray ball almost rolling into an open goal. After a quick substitution however, they seemed to find their feet with Turner scoring his second and some great play from Tank U-ten passing to Turner and then on to Whittaker to score another for Sporting. Turner managed to put away another before the half time whistle blew bringing the score to Sporting Guantanamo 5 – Racing Guantanamo 2.

At half time the Rock switched sides leaving Racing’s Orange Gaz to fill the void in goal. In the opening minutes Racing applied the pressure hammering the Sporting goal but failing to hit the target. The Rock saved the day on several occasions including taking one for the team square on his rock hard stones. Racing’s attacking tactics paid off with Ben Jones finding the top left corner. With the gap closing tempers were frayed with Racing’s Ryan Platten throwing a brief tantrum with the referee, a performance that yielded nothing for his side. Raiko slipped another past the Rock bringing the score to a tense 4-5 in favour of Sporting.
Sporting fought back with an ambiguous shot from Whittaker which he followed with another that could not be contested. With five minutes to go and only two goals in it both teams seemed to lose their form, scrambling all over the pitch desperate for that elusive goal. Sporting’s Chris Hingston managed to find his own net amidst all the confusion adding to the frantic energy on the pitch. The only players with any consistency seemed to be the two goalies (Orange Gaz and the Rock) and U-ten in defence for Sporting, who saved his team from disaster on more than one occasion. U-ten proved his worth in the final minutes taking the ball up the park and passing to Whittaker for a superb finish bringing the final score to 7 – 5 proving that there is only one team who play in orange.