Albion battles Pretoria Athletic FC

Albion Football Club took on Pretoria Athletic Football Club in their first friendly tournament of the year on Saturday, March 8.

Teams ascended the field early morning and, friendly or not, the tension was palpable as these two formidable clubs prepared to faced off against each other.

Spectators from both sides lined the field and packed the stands, and were, from beginning to end, very vocal in support of their teams.

Also read: Florida Albion U12 secures semi-final spot

The crowd was buzzing with excitement by the time the U13 game kicked off and despite impressive performances on the field and several near-misses, neither side was able to gain the upper hand.

The game ended in a tie with two goals each.

The U14 game kicked off with high expectations from both sides and despite some good tactics from the Albion team, the visitors managed to score, leaving them trailing 1–0. The Florida team was unable to make up the difference and had to live with the defeat.

Both the U15 team suffered a devastating loss to the Pretoria boys. Despite throwing everything but the kitchen sink at the visiting team, they were simply not able to come back from a two-goal deficit, eventually losing 2–0.

Florida Albions U17s fared slightly better against a formidable Pretoria team. At the end of the gruelling 90 minutes, they had no choice but to be satisfied with a 1–1 tie.

Also read: Albion teams shine in GDL games

Then, the moment everyone had been waiting for.

As the senior teams ran out onto the field, spectators got their voices back, loudly shouting their support for their respective teams.

Florida’s widely feared and respected U19 squad strutted their stuff and once again showed that their reputation as one of the best teams on the local circuit is well earned as they managed to outclass the competition, managing a 1–0 win despite heroic efforts by the Pretoria team to close the gap.