LITTLE-FANCIED Inter Dynamos were crowned champions of the Arima Football League last Friday evening when they captured the Big Four title at the velodrome. They rallied from a half-time deficit to emerge victors 2-1 against the more experienced Malabar FC.
However, in the eighth minute it was Malabar who took the lead through Dorian Daniel who collected a right-side cross on the volley and placed the ball over the head of Cecil Thomas who was in goal for Inter Dynamos.
Jesse Martinez then marshalled the Malabar defence that repelled whatever few attacks their opponents tried to muster. It was all Malabar at that stage as they continued to torment the Inter Dynamos defenders.
Kester Saunders had to be substituted midway in the half as he came off worse in a clash with an opposing player. He eventually had to be taken to the nearby Health Facility.
Meanwhile, Malabar continued to dominate proceedings on the pitch but they failed to increase their lead despite the efforts of Daniel and Ricardo Cornwall who were frequently making inroads into their opponents’ penalty area. The supporters of Inter Dynamos were wondering whether their team had come to play.
Came the second half, however, and Malabar appeared to continue where they left off. Immediately after the resumption Nathan Lewis received a long pass but failed to beat Thomas who was at his mercy. Substitute Keston Alexander soon followed his poor example, much to the disappointment of the Malabar crew.
They were later to rue such glaring mistakes as in the 65th minute referee Gregory Guevara awarded a penalty to Inter Dynamo for a foul on Nicholas Armstrong who had eluded his marker in the area.
Captain Karfele Dyer calmly slotted home to level the score for his team. Thereafter, the tables turned.
Inter Dynamos were rejuvenated and became much more competitive although substitute Calvin Charles should have restored his team’s lead in the 65th minute when he arrived to meet an accurate right-side cross provided by fellow-sub Wesley Elcock.
The match was decided when Inter Dynamos were awarded another free- kick on the left. The resulting kick, firmly struck, could only be parried by Durant into the path of Dion Caprietta who was running in from the right flank. He made no mistake with a neat placement, much to the joy of his Inter Dynamos teammates .
In the remaining eight minutes Malabar F.C. could not fashion a response to draw level and consequently lived to regret their missed opportunties in that final.
The final whistle signalled the start of celebrations for those who reside on the Bypass.