East Central made an impressive start to the second round of matches in the Dominica Football Association (DFA) Premier League.
In their first match of the second round on Friday at the Benjamin Park in Portsmouth, East Central FC picked up a much-needed win when they defeated former champions Harlem United by two goals to nil.
Ricardo George gave his team that all-important lead when he converted on the stroke of half time. Seven minutes into the second half, the score became two-nil with an own goal coming for the boots of a Harlem player.
Following the victory, coach Stanton Seraphine said that the victory was a great one for his club.
“It was a big performance from our boys. The only disappointment is that we did not score a few more. I believed that we got some really clear cut chances and the score could have easily been four or five goals.
“Defensively, we were very strong. Whatever they sent at us, we took care of it defensively. Everything worked out well for us and I am very happy with the performance and of course the results. I am very proud of the young guys,” a jubilant Seraphine told reporters after the match.
Notwithstanding the win, Seraphine said that it is back to the drawing board in preparation for future fixtures.
“It’s back to training. This victory is a morale booster and it shows that you can get good results when you put in the hard work. So we will be going back to the field and work even harder as we prepare for the rest of the season,” according to Seraphine, who currently serves as coach of the national under 15 boys team.
The win for East Central FC follows a narrow one-nil defeat at the hands of Central Cooperative Credit Union LTD Dublanc FC in their final outing of the first round, while Harlem has suffered its second defeat in as many games dating back to their two goals to one loss against Happi Bath Estate FC in their last match of the first round.
Meanwhile, in the lone Division One encounter played on Friday evening, Middleham United FC, which was relegated to Division One at the start of the season, secured an emphatic win over Kensboro United at the Newtown Savannah. Curtley Augustine found the back of the net twice in the five goals to zero throbbing. Kimon Jno Baptiste, Ryan Matthew and Derwin Eusebe scored one goal each.