Back to drawing board for Cambridge

Cambridge FC played the semi-finals and finals of the Ekurhuleni Regional Play-offs on September 11.

This came after they had already won in their qualifying group that saw them promoted to the SAB Castle League.

The semi-final was held at the Vosloorus Stadium, with the first match played against Ace Auto Ayoba from Kwa-Thema.

The match was described by coach Ignatius Maphike as a tricky affair, with the Cambridge team facing a team of youngsters full of energy and talent.

The first half of the match saw Cambridge on the back foot, with their opponents scoring two goals.

During the second half of the match, the Cambridge team picked up the pace and saw some spectacular goal keeping by Brendon Rantasamy, which was followed by a goal from striker Boy Mkhonazi.

During the final five minutes of the match, Thulani Sibiya scored the team’s second goal from a free-kick, tying the scoreboard 2-2.

The game was decided by a penalty shoot-out, with Rantasamy saving three of the four penalty kicks.

Cambridge FC managed to convert all but one of their penalty kicks into goals, which led them to win the shoot-out with a score of 3-1.

The final match was played at 15:00 on the same day, and saw the Cambridge team go up against Amaroto from Kathehong, with a final score of 3-1.

“We had several injured players from the previous match, so we had to call up different players for the final match,” said Maphike.

“Although the substitute players played with determination and a hunger to win, they didn’t use their opportunities to score.”

Coach Dennis Metsana said: “It was a good achievement for the club. The boys definitely showed character and heart, but for now it’s back to the drawing board.

“We did our best for the community of Alra Park and Nigel and we call on them to support us further.”