Following a three-match string of winning results (where 16 goals were scored), since the Benoni Football Derby loss to Northerns, the Old Bens freight train was slightly halted in its tracks, at Currin Park, after a late goalkeeping error cost them victory and forced a share of the spoils, with a 1-1 score-line, in the ELFA Super League encounter.
Bens, from the first minute, enjoyed the lion’s share of possession, but failed to convert the numerous chances that they had created in the first stanza.
A cracking strike from midfielder Steven Webster almost opened the scoring in the first half, but that thunderous shot rattled the Germiston crossbar and set the tone for what would develop into a frustrating afternoon.
Goalless at the half time break, Cloete urged his players to stick to a more passing ground game than the aerial route-one football they had displayed in the opening 45 minutes.
He introduced striker Percy Visagie to the fold and the Old Bens possession and passing game steadily improved.
Webster finally got his name on the score sheet when he tucked the ball into the Germiston net to give the hosts a deserved 1-0 advantage, following a barrage of shots at their opponents’ goal.
With it looking almost certain that Bens would make it a fourth successive win, a lapse in concentration at the back saw the visitors pounce and equalise with mere minutes remaining on the clock.
Despite the drawn result, Cloete said he is still confident that his men can achieve the season’s objective of a Top Five finish.
“It was one of those days where we just couldn’t convert chances despite controlling the game,” he added.
He made a comparison to the recent 1-1 result by Iceland against Portugal at the Euro 2016 tournament, where the less-fancied Icelanders found an equaliser despite Portugal’s supremacy: “That’s football, I guess; sometimes you dominate the match, but end up drawing or losing.”
The road doesn’t get any easier for Cloete and Bens when they travel to Highlands Park on Saturday, June 25, for their next scheduled fixture.
CLICK HERE for a GALLERY from the match
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