The finalists have been decided for the SKNFA Premier Youth Cup U-13 and the Atiba Harris U-15 league, both slated for Friday December 22. In the U-15 League, Bath United shocked Cayon 2-1 to book their spot, with all three goals scored in the first half. Both teams ended the match with 10 players after being issued red cards. Coach of Bath Aljay Newton praised his players for their resilience and said they did not want to return to Nevis, empty handed. “Feel very good about the performance…I think the players went out there and they played their hearts out. They stuck to the game plan and they were able to complete the victory. So we feel very well about it,” Newton said. “We came all the way from Nevis and we wanted to ensure that we travel back up with some something to rave about,” he added. Bath now has two teams in the SKNFA Youth League finals and three teams in total that made the Youth League semi-finals. Their U-17 team was defeated by Cayon in the semi-finals recently. Coach Newton said youth development is something they take seriously in Bath using sports. “We are creating a culture over there of football and they are producing and giving us results,” he said.
In the second match, it was excitement from the start as St. Peters FC defeated league leaders Rams Village Superstars 5-4 on penalty kicks. St. Peters took the game by the scruff the of the neck from the first whistle and was the first to every ball, dominating the match. It paid off in the end scoring the first goal early in the second half. But in the dying moments of stoppage time, Village equalized from a free kick, forcing the match into penalties. In the end, after reaching sudden death, St. Peters came out the victors, earning a spot in the finals. Coach Jamal Pitt said he is proud of his team and the fans. “The team kept their their heads high, went into the penalty shootout with momentum and we came out on top. So I’m very proud of them. I’m very proud of the team right now and I’m very proud of the fans who came out to assist them in winning this game,” Pitt said.
In the SKNFA Premier Youth Cup (U-13), Dieppe Bay defeated Molineux Pitbulls 2-0 and Bath United made it two for two with a 2-0 victory over Saddlers. Friday’s finals will see the U-13 between Bath United and Dieppe Bay starting at 5pm and U-15 finals between St. Peters FC and Bath United at 6:30pm. Both matches will be at the SKNFA Technical Center.