No love was lost during the Eastern Local Football Association (ELFA) Premier League tie when the Boksburg Football Club welcomed Duduza outfit Junior Sizwe Thando (JST) Valentine to the Boksburg City Stadium on May 1.
The match was competitive until the home side finally found the opener inside 25 minutes after a few warning shots – an opener that would invite seven more goals as the home side, which was in its all-white away kit, pulled away to a statement-making 8-2 drubbing of the hapless visitors.
The scorer, Basikelele Molefe, who was drafted from the Blues’ u-19 side, brought back memories of Dutch wing Arjen Robben. The forward, who was instrumental for Ernest Seforo’s side on the attack, received a pass on the edge of the JST 18-area box before cutting in and unleashing a thumping left strike into the top corner, giving JST goalkeeper Lehlohonolo Matthews no chance.
It was a passage of play that would see the hosts go on to score three more goals in 20 minutes as the encounter was ended as a contest before the half-time break.
Boksburg striker Ernest Anwulabi began his scoring spree when he made it 2-0 a few moments after his teammate’s cracking strike.
The hosts were having a field day on JST’s left side of the defence, where Blues captain and wing Dylan Fray was operating.
It soon turned into the Fray-Molefe-Anwulabi show as they had the visitors’ defensive line at sixes and sevens from all sides of the pitch.
Anwulabi completed his brace when he made it 3-0 from a delicious cross from JST’s left side from Fray.
It was all Boksburg at this moment, who scored four goals at either side of the recess. Their fourth, which all but secured the three points, arrived in style. Goalkeeper Daniel Donker accurately distributed to Molefe who then found Anwulabi with a defence-splitting pass. The red-hot forward coolly rounded off the advancing JST keeper before completing his hat-trick.
It was getting embarrassing for the visitors.
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The home side continued where they left off in the early stages of the second stanza. Matthews was again asked to work when he parried a shot over the crossbar before making another save from a header, which came from the resulting corner.
JST had their real opportunities in the second stanza, which made Blues stopper Donker get much-needed action.
The hosts also missed a few, which could’ve taken their score to double digits. However, Anwulabi, who missed two sitters in the second half, finished with five goals.
JST got their consolation scores through centre-back Goodwill Mbuso who pulled one back after Anwulabi had made it 6-0.
Boksburg extended their lead to 8-1 through a Buhle Ngwenya late brace before JST wing Nkululeko Nkutha got his side’s second from a dead ball situation close to Boksburg’s goal.
When asked what went wrong, JST coach Mbulelo Somfaka said: “The players started losing shape and focus. They were also fighting each other because the defence was getting frustrated at the attackers’ failure to convert their chances. The players gave up.
“It’s a big defeat. I wasn’t expecting that. We will put in some work with the boys and move on,” concluded the dejected mentor.
His opposite, Seforo, also shared his displeasure despite being on the right side of the scoreboard. But the coach also praised his attack.
“I’m not happy at all,” stated the coach.
“I think we can still do better than this. I still need to sort out some things, especially in midfield and defence.
“Our keeper, however, and our finishers are doing well,” said Seforo.
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