Olds Bens, Olympia play to a draw

Old Bens Football Club travelled to Bedfordview on Saturday, April 18, for an ELFA Super League clash with Olympia.

The match was coach Raymond Cloete’s team’s third away game of the campaign.

Things became heated from the very first minute when an Old Bens centre back was shown a yellow card for wearing a runner wristband.

Upon questioning the referee, the player was given another yellow card and sent off for dissent.

This put the visitors on the back-foot and, in the 29th minute, Olympia scored from a breakaway goal and went into the halftime break 1-0 to the good.

In the second half, Cloete made two changes to his team by substituting experience for place which saw his team playing narrow through the middle of the park.

This reshuffle soon paid off as Bilal Hajee Mohammed converted his seventh goal of the season with a wonderful lob over the head of the Olmpia goalkeeper in the 60th minute.

From that point onwards, Old Bens gained command of the game with their opponents defending for most of the second stanza.

“I was extremely happy with the way the Old Bens boys fought back to gain an away point,” said Cloete.

“Playing for 88 minutes with 10 men was not easy.”

He added that Thami Hlatshwayo was his Man of the Match.

The next league fixture for the team will take place on Saturday, April 25, at Currin Park.