LONDON, England (CMC) – Guyana international Kadell Daniel marked his debut for English National League South side Hampton & Richmond Borough with an early brace in a 5-0 romp at Eastbourne Borough on Saturday.
Daniel, a 27-year-old midfielder, struck in the third and 11th minutes for his sixth-tier club.
“I’m ecstatic. It’s a brilliant start to the season,” Daniel said afterwards.
“A hat-trick? I think I should have been a bit more ruthless,” added Daniel, who has scored three times in 11 appearances for the Jaguars since making his debut for Guyana in 2017.
Grenada defender Omar Beckles, 29, was also on the mark as his League Two side Leyton Orient beat 10-man Exeter City 3-0.
Beckles’ 25th minute strike – his second of the season – was sandwiched between goals from Aaron Drinan and Theo Archibald.
The visitors – nicknamed the Grecians – had a chance to claw their way back into the match when goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux, whose mother is Jamaican, brought down Jevani Brown, a former Young Reggae Boyz attacking midfielder, to give them a penalty.
But Vigouroux denied Matt Jay from the spot in the 65th minute before Exeter’s Jonathan Grounds was handed a second yellow card in the 74th minute for a late challenge, Archibald wrapping up the three points in the 77th minute.
Jamaican striker Jamille Matt helped Forest Green Rovers go top of League Two with a first-half goal en route to a 3-1 win at Walsall, as the Gloucestershire outfit made it two wins out of two under new head coach Rob Edwards.
Matt, 31, steered home Kane Wilson’s low cross in the 43rd minute to double the visitors’ lead after the Jamaican had been the provider on 20 minutes when he hooked Ben Stevenson’s return ball back across goal for Matty Stevens to nod in from close range.
Stevens added a second from the penalty spot in first-half injury time.
Other players with Caribbean links joined the goal feast.
Dominic Poleon, 27, who is of St Lucian descent, scored a first-half hat-trick – netting in the eighth, 27th and 29 minutes – as National League South’s Ebbsfleet United hammered Tonbridge Angels 5-1.
Chris Willock, 23, one of three brothers of Montserratian descent playing in England, drilled in Queens Park Rangers’ opener off the post on 16 minutes as the Londoners won 3-0 at Hull City in the Championship.
Willock’s brother Joe, the most famous of the trio, joined Premier League Newcastle United from Arsenal for £25 million (US$34.6 million) on Friday.
The other brother Matty already plays for Montserrat and also plies his trade in League Two Salford City, who were held to a 0-0 draw by newcomers Sutton United on Saturday.
Kyjuon Marsh-Brown, 25, who has Guyanese eligibility, scored for Hemel Hempstead in a 4-2 National League South defeat at Maidstone United. His brothers Keanu and Ronayne already both play for the Jaguars.
Tyler Burey, 23, who is of Jamaican descent, grabbed a first goal for his new League Two club Hartlepool United, heading home Jamie Sterry’s cross at the back post on 17 minutes, but they went down 3-2 at Barrow.
Marlon Jackson, 30, who also has Reggae Boyz eligibility, scored a second-half penalty for National League South’s Chippenham Town in a 1-1 draw at Dulwich Hamlet.
