Old Bens advance to cup semis after beating old rival

Benoni Northerns could have played all day and not scored because Old Bens were just better, in every aspect of the game.

Currin Park was alive as the old rivals clashed in the Eastern Super League Cup on August 19.

Old Bens, who won 1-0, defended well, absorbed pressure and stuck to their game plan.

Both teams have reached this stage of the season by repeatedly overcoming adversity in the league. Every problem and obstacle they have faced, they have navigated. But papering over the cracks only worked for one in the cup competition.

Old Bens, who was calamitous in their 7-0 loss to Sporting in the league a week earlier, ripped off the bandage that had kept Northerns’ hopes alive, especially after Chad Kelly’s side emphatically tore apart Edenval 4-2 at the same time when their hosts were being torn to shreds in Rosettenville.

But this was the derby and form often doesn’t count in such games. It had all the ingredients; banter, noise and lots of tough tackles.

When Spiros Augoustis put Old Bens ahead in the first half, Northerns could not find a way back. Even Cole Simpson’s save from Sipho Pooe’s spot-kick in the second half, which could have put the match to bed, could not spark Kelly’s side into life.

They lost to a better team, though and it will hurt. It will hurt for Kelly and the Northerns faithful, who have now lost back-to-back derbies this season.

But Kelly’s men have nothing to be ashamed of. It was always going to be difficult at a packed Currin Park that was sparked to life by its noisy crowd, which sang from the first whistle until full-time.

Even with 10 men, after Shameeg Watkins was dismissed in the second half and without Kelly who was also shown red for dissent, Northerns still kept their shape, attacked with the same energy and kept the Bens back four on their toes until the ref blew the final whistle.

Old Bens coach Mike Lee went for a high press, aiming to force their opponents to make mistakes into their half. Lee’s tactics looked to be working when Rogan Robb won the ball on the edge of the Northerns box early in the first half, but the defender skied his effort.

But the visitors showed how quickly they could respond. After dribbling past several Old Bens defenders, left-winger Calvin Ntsieng played a cross that Watkins headed across goal, missing the target by a few inches.

Then Augoustis gave the hosts the lead deep in the first half but credit to Jaden Prinsloo for his great work down the right flank. He held off a Northerns defender and then played an inviting cross that landed on Augoustis’ path. The midfielder cleverly put the shot into the top corner of the goal, beating Simpson on his right.

The game went into half-time with the hosts in the lead.

Early in the second stanza, the visitors almost equalised after a set-piece resulted in a goal-mouth scramble but Michael Juanas-Uriol failed to make a connection with the ball and it went out for a goal-kick.

As the half wound on, the game descended into chaos when Watkins was given his marching orders after handling in the area. A penalty was given to Old Bens but then chaos erupted.

After what seemed like a harsh exchange of words between the player and the referee, Gianni Infanti, the man in the middle followed Watkins and hit him with the card on the head.

This irked the Northerns players and more words were said as they circled Infanti while some tried to diffuse the situation.

Old Bens striker Pooe stepped up to take the spot-kick but Simpson was alert, diving to his right for the save to keep the contest alive.

The visitors showed signs of life after the injection of fresh legs midway through the second half. But their hosts held on as the Travis McMean-led Old Bens defence put in an extra shift to ensure their team held on for the win to advance to the semis.

Match facts

Old Bens: B Mahamba, D Dyson, A Gould, K Robb, T McMean, J Prinsloo, L Nurse, R Robb, S Augoustis, F de Freitas, M Pooe.

Northerns: C Simpson, J Murray, M Juanas-Uriol, Z Bahlekazi, K Mohale, S Mkhwanazi, T Mkhwanazi, S Watkins, C Ntsieng, N Mokoena, N Forinha.

What they said:

• “It was a tough game but we kept our game plan. We bounced back from last week’s bad loss. We came back today and showed our worth” – Spiros Augoustis.

• “They wanted it more. It was just one of those tough ones. It’s never easy coming to Old Bens. We fought, dominated a little bit in patches but they wanted it more,” – Northerns captain Cole Simpson.

• “We are happy we’ve come out on top. It’s the third time we’ve beaten them this season. We march on in the cup. It’s nice to our boys step up,” – Old Bens coach Mike Lee.

Also Read: Old Bens beat Northerns in Super League encounter

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