Lion Heart fends off Wolues 3-2; Islanders unbeaten in BVIFA play

By Dean “The Sportsman” Greenaway

Wolues Captain Phil Nelson get a header against Lion Heart’s Glen St. John

After scoring two first half goals, Lion Heart fended off the Wolues 3-2 in BVIFA weekend action, while Islanders routed shorthanded and winless Positive, 3-0, to stay unbeaten.

Tavoy Thomas and Cee Jay Lampart scored in the 18^th and 22^nd minutes, giving Lion Heart, 4-1-1, a 2-0 lead they’d carry into half time. Wolues, 3-0-2, broke the shutout when Alexander Edwards scored on a penalty kick in the 57^th. One minute later, Lampart completed his brace extending the advantage to 3-1. Ciaran Johnson scored in the 85^th pulling Wolues within 3-2 and they missed two chances after Kieran Brown was sent off for abusive language and they finished the game with 10 men.   

“Today, we pretty much was Santa Claus. That’s the best I can put it,” Wolues Coach Levi James told Island Sun Sports. “We gave them three gifts they accepted it and made our life more difficult. It was just a mistake. We know we can play the way we went to play at A. O. Shirley.”

 The first goal James said was by putting the ball out, trying to play it from the back in the middle, the ball bubbled around, didn’t go to its intended target, they were out of position on a one and one and Thomas scored. On the second one, three of Lion Heart’s back four stepped up, the other fell asleep, a one on one and Lampart scored.

“It was just lapsing and forgetting what we spoke about, one of those days,” James said.

Lion Heart Coach Lenroy “Left” Henry, said that his team came out flat, and Wolues pressured them. “But then we pulled ourselves together and started to play,” he said. “After we got the two goals, we started to relax, but at the same time, we gave up too many possessions in the game after scoring those two goals.”

Henry described Alexander’s penalty that cut the lead to 2-1, as a ‘blunder.’ “I don’t know what the defender was thinking, but that wasn’t necessary at all,” he said. “In terms of their comeback in the game, it was a lack of discipline in the defense, allowing them to possess the ball too much. There was no sort of cooperation in the defense.”

In his first game starting, 2024-25 league golden boot winner Nigel Sanderson toasted winless Old Madrid, 0-0-5, for a quartet of goals in helping the Panthers, 4-1-0 to a 10-0 victory. Sanderson scored in the 22^nd and 34^th minutes, helping the Panthers to a 6-1 halftime lead. He added goals in the 84^th and 86^th. Romario Williams got a brace for his league leading 13 goals with a brace in the 7^th and 36 minutes. Other goals: Tyrone Buddah, 10^th; Loic Simon, 37^th and .Johann Lezama, 89^th. Phillip Wilson had Old Madrid’s only score in the 24^th.

“Firstly, I want to thank my teammates, and my coach for letting me get out there and do a good job,” Sanderson said. “I couldn’t do it without the team supporting me well coming into the game. We played well and dominated the game. I got my chances, I took them very well, and I just want to say thanks to the team again.”

Shorthand Positive, 0-0-4, starting with eight before adding another, held Islands, 5-0-0 to a 0-0 half. But three Islanders found the net within a six-minute span for a 3-0 victory. Justin Smith scored in the 55^th, Rogel Noel in the 59^th and Webster Pryce capped the scoring in the 61^st.  

Defending league champs VG United, 3-0-2, beat the 2-1-2 Rebels, 5-2. Kijuan Nimblett had a hat trick with two of his goals helping VG United to a 3-2 halftime lead. Nimblett scored in the 7^th and 27^th with Joel Mars scoring in the 17^th for a 3-1 lead, after the Rebels’ Angel Welsh scored five minutes in, then Curtly Peters scored in the 34^th cutting the deficit to 3-2. Nimblett completed his hat trick in the 49^th and Decon Prince capped the scoring with his goal in the 72^nd.

In a battle between Virgin Gorda teams, Sugar Boys, 3-0-2, extended rivals Avengers, 0-0-5, who haven’t won a game since joining the league, losing streak with a 6-0 victory. Rolland Roberts had Sugar Boys’ only first half goal in the 2^nd minute, then got his brace in the 48^th. Mohammad Kachour got his brace in the 53^rd and 76^th and Derrol Redhead, closed play with 89^th and a goal two minutes into stoppage time.