The Tribune

ON and off the pitch Lyford Cay FC made a fine impression as they became the first Bahamian soccer club to take part in the Caribbean Football Union Club Championship last week.

After five days of intense preliminary-round action among 14 teams in the 2015 tournament, which ended last Sunday, Lyford Cay finished a creditable second in group four behind the professional team of Don Bosco de Petionville (Haiti).

Lyford Cay, based in Haiti, finished with a record of one win, one draw and one defeat from their group games.

“We would like to thank our sponsors and supporters who believed in us and our ‘crazy’ project to ensure that a Bahamian club is represented for the first time in 18 years in the CFU/CONCACAF Club Championship,” a statement from the club read yesterday. “We hope that other Bahamian clubs will follow our path on this fantastic journey.”

The Bahamians set a number of firsts. On Friday Lyford Cay earned their first point of the competition in a 2-2 draw with Unite Saint Rosienne (Guadeloupe), having been 2-0 down in the first half after Gilles Dan and Steeve Desert scored.

However the second half told a different story as Lyford Cay stormed back in the 69th minute through Dean Jacobs, who became the first player to score a goal for a Bahamian team in the CFU Champions League, and Sam Nellis in the 72nd minute from the penalty spot to level the match 2-2.

Lyford Cay finished the game with nine players after the Sams, Dowell and Nellis, received red cards. However the team was close to stealing victory when a thunderous shot by Kristoff Wood rattled the post two minutes before full time. Wood had also struck the crossbar with a powerful header in the first half.

This was officially the first point earned by a Bahamian club in a recognised international competition.

On Sunday Lyford Cay faced Helenites SC (US Virgin Islands) and took the lead after 29 minutes with a goal from Markus Traill. An heroic, backs-to-the-wall performance kept the score at 1-0 and brought the Bahamas their first club victory in international competition.

The match featured a magnificent defensive performance by Steven Soirilien.

Even more memorable for the club was the experience off the pitch of working at My Fathers Orphanage and the Academy for Peace and Justice.

The Academy was built by Artists for Peace and Justice and is committed to to support communities in Haiti through programmes in education, healthcare and dignity through the arts and sports. The Lyford Cay representatives met the staff and visited the newly-built campus hosting more than 3,000 students.

The players and staff spent their limited resting time between the three games working with Haitian kids. They managed to coach and play with hundreds of inspiring young footballers and gratitude is due to Lyford Cay International School students, who supplied boots, clothing, stationary and gifts.

LYFORD CAY SQUAD: Joe Byrne, Sam Dowell, Yiorgo Coyle, Happy Hall, Alexander Thompson, Lamar Cancino, Wolf Ullrich, Dean Jacobs, Markus Traill, Sam Nellis, Marvin Johnson, Steven Soirilen, Kristoff Wood, David Shaw, Kenroy Blake, Frederic Bournas, Odaine McCallum, Walden Memnon, David Knowles, John Fletcher, David Dormaivil.