Randburg FC U16s completes the Rand Central Local Football League double
Randburg Football Club U16s coach Njabulo Mdletshe said that his boys played well, and they are ready for the Gauteng Development League challenge
After a gruelling 0–0 draw, Randburg Football Club and Stars of Africa had to be separated on penalties in a tense Rand Central Local Football League (RCLFA) Championship U16 cup final match at Marks Park.
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The nail-biting contest saw Randburg being crowned the 2024 champions after a 5–4 victory on penalties. They completed the double for the season as they recently won the RCLFA Championship League.
Randburg goalkeeper Wahid Duval was instrumental in the tie, especially in the first half, and saved two penalties in the shootout to give his team the victory.
Both teams started the game warily but Stars of Africa grew in confidence and were looking more threatening.
Stars’ Kagisano Morudu was causing all sorts of troubles for the Randburg defence but he was not clinical in front of goals. Wahid was called into action a couple of times and he made crucial saves to keep Randburg in the game.
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Randburg created more chances on set pieces but they could not break the solid Stars defence.
Both teams introduced fresh legs in the second half to strengthen their attacks and Randburg had the upper hand but did not create many scoring opportunities.
However, Stars goalkeeper Jade Badenhorst made a game-saving save in the last minutes of the game, stunning Randburg fans and forcing the game to penalties.
Randburg U16s coach Njabulo Mdletshe said his boys played well and for each other.
“These boys will now become the U17s in the Gauteng Development League (GDL) next season. I think we have done a great job in developing them, the first goal was to make sure we develop them and make sure that they improve for the next season.”
He commended his boys for absorbing the pressure of playing in front of a big crowd. “As a 16-year-old, a crowd like this give you too much pressure but they handled themselves like professionals. We have moulded them to be those players and it was beautiful to see.”
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