Northerns’ unbeaten run continues
They have raked in 10 points, dropping only two in their four games
Benoni Northerns have managed to shake off their slow start in the Easterns Super League, winning three matches and drawing one since their loss to Old Bens on May 7.
On June 4, coach Enrique Juanas-Uriol’s team thrashed Impala 6-0 to extend their unbeaten run in the league.
Playing away from home, Northerns took full advantage of their hosts’ shortcomings as they piled more pressure on the miners who haven’t won a game since winning 2-0 against Brakpan Spurs on May 7.
“Impala’s last two home games were against very strong opponents in Luso and Robertsham and both matches were drawn. We were concerned but the lads showed a united front. They came to the party and got stuck into our opponents from the first whistle.
“Given that they are a skilful team that likes to play from the back, we aimed to press high, give them little room in their half and put pressure on the back four. Also to get them to make mistakes in their area, win the 50/50 challenges and most importantly convert our chances,” Juana-Uriol said.
Following their loss to Old Bens, their obituary was written. They were outplayed, outsmarted and outclassed – it was game over.
Even Juanas-Uriol admitted defeat, saying it was their worst performance of the season.
“Our players and coaching staff are most embarrassed and disappointed. We apologise to our club and supporters. All is not lost, though.
“We will work on our shortcomings and mistakes in training. We will learn from what happened against Old Bens and do what we have to improve and remedy the situation,” he said at the time.
Today, however, the script has been flipped. They are on a good run, winning three, drawing one and scoring 14 goals while only conceding three.
They have raked in 10 points, dropping only two in their four matches. They are now sixth on the log, sitting on 17 points.
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They are no longer the whipping boys in the league but are on cruise control and have managed to sneak their way out of the bottom half and are one of the in-form and formidable sides.
Up against a side that builds from the back and gets into the opponent’s half with flair, Juanas-Uriol’s plan was simple; let them have the ball and press forward and then catch them on the counter.
“We went into the interval 3-0 ahead. The game was practically done but we still had to be careful because we knew they had nothing to lose and would come at us in the second half.
“We defended in numbers and played counterattacking football. We caught them on the counter several times while they were coming forward. We added another three in the second half. They had their fair share of chances, but they did not capitalize.”
Next, is a trip to Boksburg Stadium to take on Musa United on June 11.
The Northerns reserve side also pummelled Impala’s reserves 3-0.
Draw for Old Bens
Old Bens held Olympia to a 3-3 in Bedfordview on June 04.
Alex Gould, Brad Thomas and Jayden Prinsloo grabbed the goals for Mike Lee’s side.
“It was an end to end the game with both sides creating good chances. We had a goal disallowed early on. We went one-nil up but fell behind 3-1. We scored two goals in the last 10 minutes and probably would have won it if we had more time,” Lee said.
Bens are third on the log on 20 points.
The reserve game ended in a four-all draw.
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