The Barbados Football Association Premier League delivered another riveting weekend of action Sunday, as defending champions Weymouth Wales pulled off a last-gasp 2-1 victory over their long-time rivals Ellerton, courtesy of a stoppage-time winner from former national captain Rashad Jules. The dramatic result came after title challenger Paradise had earlier rocketed to the top of the table with a lopsided 11-2 destruction of bottom-side Wotton, putting immediate pressure on Wales to respond at the BFA Technical Centre ground.
Wales got off to a flying start inside the opening 10 minutes, when Ellerton’s Javon Austin was called for a foul on Jules just inside the 18-yard box. Midfielder Ackeel Applewhaite stepped up to take the spot kick, slotting a low shot into the left corner beyond the reach of Ellerton goalkeeper Kerry Holder to put his side ahead 1-0. For the next hour, Wales dominated possession and territorial control, but neither side managed to carve out a clear-cut goalscoring chance until the 66th minute. That was when Ellerton captain Shakille Belle latched onto a precision through ball, shrugged off a challenge from defender Rashad Smith, and rounded Wales goalkeeper Kishmar Primus to slot home the equalizer, setting up a frantic final stanza.
The closing 25 minutes saw both teams throw bodies forward in search of a winning goal, and Ellerton came agonizingly close to snatching the win in the 90th minute. Belle delivered a pinpoint cross from the right wing that beat Primus, leaving substitute Anson Barrow with a simple tap-in from just five yards out. In a moment that would ultimately cost Ellerton all three points, Barrow failed to make any contact with the ball, wasting the golden opportunity. Just three minutes into stoppage time, Jules made no mistake for the second match running. The former captain powered his way through Ellerton’s defensive line, turned quickly outside the penalty area, and fired a thunderous left-footed strike that flew into the back of the net, sparking wild celebrations among the Wales squad and supporters. Remarkably, this was the second consecutive match that Jules netted a 93rd-minute winning goal, having also hit a late winner against Brittons Hill in the previous round of fixtures.
Speaking to reporters from Barbados TODAY after the final whistle, Jules credited his teammates and coaching staff for the result, noting that he had endured a challenging season by his own high standards. “It was a relatively productive night. Like you guys would have seen for the whole season, we just need to do a little better in the final third, but for the most part the guys have been keeping the ball, and at least trying to play a Wales style of football, regardless of the results that we’ve been getting,” he said. “I feel as though coming to Wales the staff put a lot of confidence and support in me. They know I’ve been struggling all season, but they kept me on and I just think that I had to prove them right.”
The opening match of the matchday brought its own decisive result, as Eyre’s Meatshop Pride of Gall Hill secured a critical 1-0 win over UWI Blackbirds to move further clear of the relegation zone. Shakarie Mottley scored the game’s only goal in the 86th minute, lifting Gall Hill to sixth place in the table on 15 points, while UWI Blackbirds stayed in seventh position three points behind.
In the headline early match, Paradise put on a goalscoring masterclass against Wotton, who were forced to play the entire 90 minutes with club president Rasheed Belgrave standing in as goalkeeper. Paradise ran riot in the first half, taking a 7-0 lead into halftime before making a raft of substitutions that disrupted their attacking rhythm in the second half. Despite the one-sided scoreline, Wotton refused to let their heads drop and grabbed two late consolation goals from Tre Byer and Jayden Benjamin, marking the most lopsided result of the 2024 season so far. Tyrel Rayside Demendonca and Shamari Harewood both scored hat tricks for Paradise, while Sheran Hoyte and Kamol Griffith added two goals each, and Christian Gill rounded out the scoring with one goal.
The 11-2 win put Paradise temporarily top of the league on 33 points, boosting their goal difference considerably and piling the pressure on Weymouth Wales to respond later in the day. Paradise head coach Mario Harte expressed satisfaction with the three points and the goals, but conceded he was disappointed to concede two soft goals. “Yeah great result, always good to get some goals on the board, but conceding two rubbed me a little on the wrong side, but yeah grateful for the three points most of all,” Harte said. “While I would rather we held onto the top spot, I can’t complain about where we are right now in the table.” Jules’ late winner ultimately saw Wales retake the top position by a single point, keeping the title race finely poised as the BFA Premier League approaches its business end.