Pele and Fruta Conquerors secured hard-fought wins when the Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson Benefit Football Series commenced on Wednesday evening at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground in Bourda.
Pele defeated traditional rival Santos 2-0 in the feature contest. Richardson opened his scoring with a sublime free-kick in the 28th minute. Awarded the spot-kick outside the left of the penalty box, Richardson curled a right-footed shot that sailed over the hands of the goalkeeper and settled into the top right-hand corner.
The eventual outcome was then sealed in the 55th minute, as Orlando Lovell etched his name on the scorer’s sheet. Lurking inside the penalty box, awaiting a left-side corner-kick from Calvin Shepherd, the wily Lovell rose above his marker to direct a powerful header into the left corner of the net.
Meanwhile, in the opening match, Fruta Conquerors bested Georgetown Football Association league champion Beacons FC by a 2-1 score-line. The Beacons seized the initial lead in the 25th minute as Tamiel Hudson scored, pouncing on a defensive error inside the area before slotting into the back of the net.
However, the lead proved to be short-lived, as Fruta Conquerors equalized 10 minutes later in the form of Deandre Linton. It was a moment of individual brilliance from Linton, as he dribbled his marker several times after latching onto a through pass before rifling a powerful strike into the far corner of the net.
Kellon Gordon then handed Fruta Conquerors the lead, as he found the back of the net in the 42nd minute to complete the comeback. Awarded a penalty kick following a clumsy challenge by the goalkeeper, Gordon made his mistake as he fired his effort into the back of the net. The exhibition series is being conducted to raise funds for the former Golden Jaguars international and his family, who unfortunately lost everything after a fire gutted his Charlestown residence.
Richardson, who scored 17 international goals for the Golden Jaguars, represented regional teams such as the Colorado Rapids (MLS), Puerto Rico Islanders (USL), Carolina Railhawks (USL), and Joe Public (T&T). On the local front, he also represented at various stages of his career the colors of the Beacons, Pele, Alpha United, Georgetown Football Club, and Fruta Conquerors.
