ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Bethesda will still play First Division football next season after they emerged victorious in the first and second teams’ playoff on Sunday at Antigua Recreation Grounds (ARG).
The ‘Men from the East’ ended in the 10th position of Antigua & Barbuda Football Association First Division and had to go into a playoff with the third and fourth placed Second Division teams – English Harbour and Liberta, respectively.
In the first encounter, they beat Liberta, 2-1; and then followed it up with a 3-2 victory over English Harbour when they came from behind on Sunday at ARG in the first match of a double-header.
English Harbour who scored first in the 12th minute from a Howard Montique direct free-kick.
But Bethesda drew level in the 32nd minute thanks to Alva Samuel. Three minutes later, Bethesda took the 2-1 lead with a Davis Odum strike. English Harbour levelled the score in the 43rd minute when Montique scored his second. Both teams entered the half tied at 2-2.
On resumption, the teams pressed for more goals and had numerous near misses, but it was Tamoy Christian who sealed the victory for Bethesda on the stroke of the 90th minute from a very low drive beating the Harbour keeper to his right.
Bethesda scored five goals in the playoffs and had three scored against them. During the league, they ended on 24 points, having scored 25 goals and had 27 scored against them.
English Harbour, who only played one playoff match, scored two goals and had three scored against them.
During the league they ended on 53 points, scoring 95 goals and had 20 scored against them.
The match brought down the curtain on the football 2011/12 season.
