Clever Boys hosted a preseason tournament at the Duduza stadium over the weekend
Ayoba and Clever Boys came out tops in the finals under two divisions.
Duduza – The U17 and U19 preseason tournament took place over the weekend at the Duduza Stadium with four teams battling it out in both categories.
The teams were Clever Boys FC, Ace Auto Ayoba, East Rand Athletics (ERA) CF and JST Valentine FC.
On Saturday, in the first game of the U17s, Clever Boys lost 5-1 to Ayoba. The second game was between ERA and JST, which ended in a one-all draw after 90 minutes. ERA won 6-5 on penalties.
Ayoba beat Clever Boys 5-1 in the finals.
The first game of the U19s saw Clever Boys beat ERA 2-1, leading them straight to the finals. The game couldn’t finish as a fight broke out between the two teams.
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JST lost 2-1 to Ayoba. Clever Boys beat Ayoba 6-2 in the finals.
Clever Boys coach and tournament organiser Johannes ‘Stabosta’ Mokoena said the tournament went well even though there were challenges (the fight).
“I am also happy about our boys’ performance, especially the U19s as they won the finals,” said Mokoena.
ERA coach Mbuso ‘Boere’ Sithathu said, “We played well in the U17 section.
Though the fight in the U10 game was due to provocation, we don’t condone what happened and as a punishment to our players, we withdrew them from the tournament. In solidarity, we also withdrew the U17 team, which is why they didn’t participate in the finals.”
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Sithathu said soccer should unite people despite the background they are from.
Ayoba coach Lulama Masehla said, regarding the U17s, “The tournament was to help us with the upcoming league and it has served its purpose. We have a big squad. After this tournament, we are more aware of our strengths and weaknesses.”
Masehla said Ayoba previously had no U19 team. He said for people who were not used to playing in the U19 division, the boys did well.
“We were playing to prepare rather than playing to win,” Masehla concluded.
JST U19 coach Nhlakanipho Tshabalala said, “I think my boys have learnt that not capitalising on chances will lead to a loss. We had a lot of chances but didn’t use them. Ayoba capitalised and it was the end of us.”
Tshabalala said JST must learn to work as a team as there is no I in a team.
