Iphutheng and MC Weiler off to a good start

ALEXANDRA – Defending champions MC Weiler and former two-time champions, Iphutheng Primary School made a good start in the Discovery Alex Schools U12 League.

A DR Knak player ( blue) controls the ball as his Iphutheng counterpart closes in.

The Discovery Alex Schools U12 League got off to a good start for defending champions MC Weiler Primary School and two-time champions, Iphutheng Primary School.

MC Weiler showed the stuff they are made of, and that being crowned champions in the past season was no fluke when they opened their account with a 5–0 demolition of less-fancied Gordon Primary School.

Iphutheng, on the other hand, drew last season’s semifinalists, Dr Knak Primary School in their opening game.

With both schools considered the perennial force of Alex primary schools football, everyone rightfully thought it was game on – and game on it was. Both schools started the game cautiously, and in the midst of that cautionary play in the second half, Iphutheng’s Pontsho Mokgethwa received a brilliant cross ball. The Happy Fighters FC U13 player rattled the back of the net with a powerful strike that left the Dr Knak keeper in no man’s land.

Following the strike, a determined Dr Knak piled on the pressure with constant urging from their coach and had lady luck been on their side, they could have gone 2–1 up. Stocky Welcome Mabitsela, a former Royal Tigers player, could have equalised for Dr Knak if it was not for the keeper who parried a powerful goal-bound shot over the bar for a corner.

Assisted by their coach, who literally put the ball on the corner spot for the boys, a Dr Knak player found a teammate whose header was on target but the agile Iphutheng keeper saved it. A delighted Mokgethwa warned his next opponents on 14 September, Gordon Primary School, that his solitary strike against Dr Knak was just the tip of the iceberg of goals to come.

Present at the games to identify talent was SuperSport United’s Godfrey Mosoetsa who said Alex was increasingly becoming their crucial target for talented young players for their academy.

Results from the other games:

Girls Results

Skeen 0 – Zenzeleni 0

Carter 4 – Emfundisweni 0

MC Weiler 5 – Gordon 0

Iphutheng 2 – Dr Knak 0

Ikage 3 – Ithute 0

Ekukhanyisweni 2 – Bovet 0.

Boys Results

Ekukhanyisweni 0 – Bovet 1

Ikage 0 – Ithute 1

Skeen 2 – Zenzeleni 2

Iphutheng 1 – Dr Knak 0

Carter 2 – Emfundisweni 1

MC Weiler 3 – Gordon 0.