Wits smash outclassed Boyne Tigers

Limpopo-based minnows Boyne Tigers were schooled in the ways of the big league after being hammered 4-0 by Bidvest Wits in a Nedbank Cup round of 32 encounter at the Bidvest Stadium on Wednesday night.

First half braces from Haashim Domingo and Simon Murray made it a comfortable night for Gavin Hunt’s charges as they cruised through to the last 16 on a rainy night in Braamfontein.

The gulf in class between Wits, currently sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League table, and the visiting team, who are 11th in the Limpopo stream of the Second Division (third tier), was obvious throughout a 90 minutes which felt more like a practice game for a largely second-string Clever Boys line-up.

The writing was on the wall in the 11th minute for the club from the MacLean Farm region, just less than an hour north of Polokwane, when Domingo opened the scoring with a simple close range conversion after Gabadinho Mhango’s initial effort had been blocked by Boyne Tigers keeper Sizwe Rabothata.

Murray had played an unwitting part in the opening goal when his somewhat clumsy reaction to the rebound had fallen into the scorer’s path. And the Scot was to assist Domingo for a second time just four minutes later, when he beat Rabothata to a ball out wide before delivering a pin-point cross for Domingo to bundle over the line with his chest.

The contest was all but over for the shell-shocked visitors after just 20 minutes when Murray slotted in a well-taken curling shot with the outside of his right boot to make it 3-0.

Wits were then guilty of wasting clearcut chances to extend their lead as Buhle Mkhwanazi struck the post and Denis Weidlich fired over goal, both efforts coming from just six yards out.

The fourth goal though was not long in coming, Domingo again involved as he burst forward in the 39th minute before cutting the ball across the box for Mhango, who in turn fed Murray for a simple tap in.

Mhango was to miss an early chance after the break to add a fifth, but after that Wits seemed to go off the boil somewhat as they lost some of their intensity going forward.

Keegan Ritchie fired over from a decent position with 16 minutes to play, and Rabothata did well to save at the feet of Murray, before Mhango missed with an easy header in the 88th minute as Tigers were able to successfully keep the second half score-line at 0-0 and thereby salvage a small amount of lost pride.

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