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Promotion race tightens in 1st division
- Updated: 7 April 2017
Future (red) and George Town are locked in a tight race for the top spot.
As the 2016-17 CIFA First Division season nears its end, the race for promotion has gotten tighter after leaders Future SC were beaten in the latest round of matches on 2 April, while the three teams behind them in the standings all picked up wins.
Cayman Brac FC got the better of Future in a tight encounter at Ed Bush Sports Complex. An own-goal by Jared Yates put Future behind after four minutes of play, then three minutes later Ebo Eccleston doubled the lead for the club from the sister island. Mark Ebanks pulled Future back within a goal with his league-leading 21st tally in the 36th minute. After a scoreless second half, Cayman Brac FC took a 2-1 win. It was the second straight week Future dropped points after a draw with Elite on 25 March.
While the leaders faltered, George Town SC pressed ahead in its bid to return to the Cayman Premier League with a 4-1 triumph over North Side at the Annex. George Town scored four unanswered goals after falling behind in the 20th minute when Floyd McKenzie scored for the North Side. Tex Whitelocke (32’), Bryon Ramoon (55’), Gareth Anderson (79’) and Junior Welcome (83’) scored found the back of the net for George Town.
Also at the Annex, an 80th minute strike from Lorenzo Brown saw Alliance FC taking three points from their clash with East End United.
Leading scorers:
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- Mark Ebanks: 21 goals
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- Tex Whitelock: 16 goals
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- Guiton King: 14 goals
In other action, Academy SC handed Savannah Tigers a 5-0 drubbing at Ed Bush Sports Complex. Tigers dug themselves into a hole when a Daniel Manderson own-goal put them down 1-0 after nine minutes. Jayden Downey scored twice, whole Dominic Owens and Trey Ebanks also added goals for Academy, who moved off the bottom of the table with the win.
In the race for promotion, Future SC has 30 points off 14 games, with two league matches to play. Those chasing them have one more game in hand. George Town SC is on 29 points and has three games to play, while Cayman Brac FC has 26 points with three games to play. Alliance FC also has a shot, sitting fourth with 23 points and three games left. (See standings below)
The team that sits atop the standings at the end of the season gains automatic promotion to the Cayman Premier League, while the second-placed team will have a playoff match against the seventh placed club in the Cayman Premier League, with the winner playing in the top-flight next season.
Unofficial CIFA First Division standings:
| TEAM | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| Future SC | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 47 | 22 | 25 | 30 |
| George Town SC | 13 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 38 | 17 | 21 | 29 |
| Cayman Brac FC | 13 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 40 | 19 | 21 | 26 |
| Alliance FC | 13 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 24 | 21 | 3 | 23 |
| North Side SC | 14 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 35 | 30 | 5 | 19 |
| Elite SC | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 22 | 26 | -4 | 15 |
| Academy SC | 13 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 27 | 54 | -27 | 9 |
| East End United FC | 13 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 17 | 30 | -13 | 8 |
| Savannah Tigers FC | 13 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 20 | 51 | -31 | 7 |
There is a two-week break in league play, as teams feature in the FA Cup first round on 8-9 April and a rest for the Easter Weekend. The next round of games is 22 April.
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