Encouraging future for Northerns despite ELFA Cup Final loss
Based on the previous season, the supply line to the Northerns Super League squad next term looks very encouraging.
Despite a second consecutive ELFA Reserve League Cup final defeat last weekend, it wasn’t all despondency in the Benoni Northerns dressing room after the match.
The Northerns second-stringers had to be content with the runners-up tag for a second consecutive season when they went down 2-1 to Luso Africa in the decider at the Greek Club in Senderwood on September 7.
The young Benoni side, which finished runners-up to Robertsham in the league, failed to capitalise on a 1-0 half-time advantage, allowing their vastly more experienced Germiston opponents to seize the initiative in the second period and claim the trophy.
“Overall, we have had a great season. The majority of these boys are u-20 and it was their first full season of senior football,” commented Northerns coach Enrique Juanas-Uriol, who has coached the majority of the current crop through all the age group teams.
“The future looks very promising. We aimed to get them through the ranks towards first team football, hopefully we have done our jobs as coaches. Whoever takes the first team next season has an abundance of great young talent to nurture,” added the coach.
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It was a game of two halves as Northerns kept their shape, worked well as a unit and created the better goal-scoring opportunities in the first period, but lost their intensity and purpose in the second.
“They put more pressure on us, we wobbled, couldn’t keep our shape and started making mistakes. The pressure told eventually and we conceded two silly goals,” added Juanas-Uriol.
After some close shaves at either end, left winger Andisa Hola broke the deadlock with a right-footed volley into the left corner of the net from a loose ball which drifted into his path from an aerial challenge.
Luso came out firing on all cylinders after the break, pumping nagging long balls behind the Northerns defensive cordon. The tactic eventually paid dividends on the half hour when they levelled matters via a low volley from Balin Bennisan, which nipped in at the near post.
As the match headed into the final quarter, Northerns seemed to tire, standing off tackles at times and losing markers too often.
James Mavimbela scored what proved to be the decisive goal 10 minutes from full time when he was set free by a pin-point through-ball from Luso skipper Mario Ferreira and chipped over the advancing keeper, who got his fingertips to the ball.
Despite a sustained onslaught in the final stages and the injection of some fresh legs, Northerns failed to find the much-needed equaliser.
