WBHS hammers DHS 5-1

WESTVILLE Boys’ High School played Durban High School (DHS) in their annual derby at Bowdens Field in front of their home crowd on Saturday.

There was an excited atmosphere as Westville’s spectators expected a tough match because DHS have built up an enviable reputation as a soccer school.

WBHS started the game well, playing with purpose and not allowing the DHS players time to find any type of rhythm. WBHS shifted the ball among each other well, sharing the ball and patiently searching for the correct time to penetrate the DHS defence. This patience and discipline paid off in the eighth minute when a free kick for WBHS was headed square by Bradley Smith across the DHS small box and volleyed home by Westville’s captain Kyan Braithwaite for the opening goal. WBHS scored their second in the 23rd minute when a long throw was chested down by Smiso Buthelezi into the path of Kyan Braithwaite who hit a first time half -volleyed shot into the top left corner for a stunning goal.

WBHS were gifted a third goal in the 27th minute when the DHS keeper fumbled the ball on the edge of his box and Westville’s lightning quick winger, Sipesihle Mhlamvu pounced onto the ball to slot it home into an empty net. Westville went into the break 3-0 up and looking dominant.

DHS had a better start to the 2nd half and got a goal back in the 38th minute. A cracking volley from 30 metres out by the DHS winger rebounded off WBHS’s crossbar and was tapped in by the following DHS striker to make the score 3-1. This sparked the WBHS players into life and in the 49th minute, WBHS’s right wing Shane Ball went on a mazy run down the right flank and put in a dangerous cross to the front pole which was unfortunately headed by the DHS defender into his own net to make it 4-1. Westville’s defensive pressure again paid off in the 58th minute when its winger Tony Mahlangu pounced on an error by the DHS defence and slotted the ball passed the keeper into the bottom right corner to make it 5-1.