Midrand High outclass Ivory Park in 3-1 U15 win
The Johannesburg East District Championship was held at Midrand High, where teams from Johannesburg schools competed for selection.
Midrand High School opened its gates to the Johannesburg East District Football Championship, giving some of the most promising young footballers in the district a chance to compete for a place in the provincial setup.
Sithembiso Buthelezi, a teacher at the school and the Johannesburg East District Football chairperson, said that the day was the result of months of hard work across five clusters, namely Central 1, Central 2, Alexandra, Midrand and Ivory Park, where teams had been playing league matches and whittling down their best players ahead of the district showpiece.
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One of the day’s most exciting matches saw Midrand High’s U15 boys take on Ivory Park, with plenty of heart on both sides. Midrand High grabbed the lead in the first half and never let go, keeping the pressure on Ivory Park for the full duration of the match.
Ivory Park refused to go quietly and battled hard throughout, but Midrand High were too strong on the day, eventually running out 3-1 winners.
Midrand head coach Emmanuel Khoza said the game was more of a challenge than the scoreline suggested.
“It was a test for us because they are from a different environment from us. The match was a learning curve for me because there was a lot we learnt from them, and there are some things they learnt from us,” he said.
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Khoza was quietly confident about his players’ chances of making the district squad.
“I think most of our boys will get selected because they are used to the system, so I think the chances of them being selected are very high.”
Competition ran across four age groups, with U15 and U17 teams in both boys and girls categories, all vying for selection.
Coaches and selectors from private clubs in Midrand and Alexandra were present on the day to identify the best talent. Midrand High will host the regional selections on June 28.
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