The Young Rockets are bundled out of the DSTV Diski Shield

TS Galaxy Young Rockets marked their return to competitive action with a do-or-die encounter against their Eastern Cape-based counterparts, Chippa United, in the quarter-finals of the DStv Diski Shield played on Saturday July 9 at Wits University Stadium.
The competition resumed after a two-year break due to Covid-19. It featured the eight teams that finished in the top half of the DStv Diski Challenge table in the recently concluded season.

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Young Rockets were the first side to be eliminated from the competition and were denied a chance to qualify for the semi-finals after being defeated 1-0 by Chippa United.
The Chilli Boys scored the game’s lone goal through Aviwe Mqokozo, to qualify for the semi-finals.

Ashley Makhanya, the Young Rockets’ head coach, said his team had gone into the game with the intention of winning, but failed to kill it.
“We played some really good football and the lads put the football education and philosophy we teach into practice, but unfortunately we lost because of a small problem. The attitude to tackle the game was on par and it was a great match,” he said.

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He was, however, pleased with his team’s performance as they showed growth.
“The boys had the game in their hands, nevertheless, despite having numerous opportunities to score, they were unable to do so. Although we were very compact and made numerous breakthroughs, we didn’t take advantage of the scoring opportunities, so I believe our game plan was sound.
“Development and ongoing improvement are the name of the game and I am quite pleased with how we performed. I believe the defenders could have cleared the cross that resulted in the game’s lone goal if we had been better organised at the back. The boys’ performance was incredibly strong. I have no complaints and we’ll keep working with them to teach and develop them,” concluded Makhanya.