Vincy Heat at sub zero in cup final

Vincy Heat needed to have conjured up some enterprising ideas last night both on and off the field, if they wanted to challenge for a semi final spot in the Digicel football final currently taking place in Trinidad and Tobago.

Vincy Heat was set to face Guadeloupe in the last preliminary match at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium needing full points to advance.{{more}}

The Vincentians, like the other three teams in the group after their second match, were on three points.

An uninspiring, woeful ninety minutes against Cuba Tuesday night, saw Vincy Heat losing 3-0.

Against the more tactful and patient Cubans, the Vincentians looked like a bunch of rookies, as they had to resort to chase shadows for most of the match.

But it was not second time lucky for the ultra defensive tactics of technical director Zoran Vranes and his coaching staff, which saw Vincy Heat triumphing 2-0 versus Guyana in their opener last Sunday.

The Cubans took charge of a lead footed Vincentian team, whose lethargy in both play and plan looked second rated.

Poor attempts at a clearance first by defender Dexter Walker then his central partner Bevan Burgin let Lester More free, coolly placing the ball in the back of the net in the 25th minute.

More doubled his tally with a header in the 58th minute.

The Cubans completed their sublime display on the night scoring in the 89th minute through Leonel Duarte.

The Vincentians’ attempts at goal were few, with only Shandel Samuel and Andrew Douglas getting off feeble shots.

Samuel, the competition’s leading goal scorer was a shadow of himself as his team mates were unable to provide him with his trademark mazy runs.

Cuba collected their first points of the finals, after they had lost 1-2 to Guadeloupe on Sunday.

Vincy Heat on Sunday stopped Guyana’s 14 match winning streak through goals from the speedy Samuel in the 5th minute and Sean Glynn in the 86th.

But these strikes interrupted periods of sustained pressure by the Guyanese whose midfield took control of the match.

The Guyanese tactics of trying to penetrate the center forward was thwarted by a packed middle as Vranes employed brothers Ezra Hendrickson and Wesley John, just in front Walker and Burgin.

Samuel pounced on a loose ball after goalkeeper Jason Lloyd failed to score, while Glynn capitalised on the Guyanese defence hoping for an off side call, to beat Lloyd on the near post.

Guyana rebounded after that loss to edge out Guadeloupe 4-3 also on Tuesday, compliments a Nigel Codrington hat trick.

Guyana and Cuba were set to meet yesterday, as the Bobby Sookram group reached its final round.

Haiti had already booked their place in the semi final from the other group called the Sedley Joseph group, which also included Martinique, Barbados and the host Trinidad and Tobago.

The four semi finalists automatically head for the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup set for the USA, from 6-24 June.