Smith scores hatrick to lead Bronco to title win
Forward Remano Smith bagged a hat-trick when champion Bronco Football Club successfully defended their Masonic Cup title at the annual Easter Tournament at the WJ Stadium in Reiger Park on Monday, April 6.
Bronco, which hails from Reiger Park, defeated Delmore Park’s Taks Academy 3-2 in a five goal thriller in the Closed Section final.
The tournament, which ran between April 3 and 6, was in conjunction with Reiger Park’s Sun United Football Club’s 29th birthday celebrations.
Taks, who donned a Bayern Munich strip, opened the scoring with Nelson Pheeha calmly sliding the ball across the face of goal and into the back of the net in a highly intense first stanza, as both teams searched for the early blow.
Bronco responded immediately and almost pulled level through Nathan Kater.
The midfielder received a well-weighted through ball before missing the target, although he had to beat only Luciano Scharneck, who got his fingertips to the ball to deflect Kater’s attempt.
The champions maintained the pressure as Smith began to menace. The forward, spotting a funky hairstyle, received a cross moments after Kater’s chance, but this went begging as he failed to connect his header.
The Delmore Park outfit, who attempted to slow down the tempo of the match, with Bronco pressing, were struggling to keep hold of the ball as the pressure mounted.
Smith, who often found himself in the right space at the right time, again had an opportunity fall to him before unleashing a long range strike, which went wide of the post.
Taks kept the whites in check with their slick passing game, but Bronco looked deadly on the counter-attack, with Smith and Kirsten Niewenhuys bossing the flanks.
The momentum eventually told, with Smith receiving the ball at the edge of Taks’s 18-area, before audaciously turning and producing a screamer, which ended on Scharneck’s top right corner, to level matters.
The celebrations were short-lived, however, and Taks regained the lead courtesy of Pheeha, who completed his brace, game on!
Bronco’s runs behind the Taks defence were causing Anthony Johnson’s men trouble and the whites were close to again equalising, but Niewenhuys’s shot went wide.
The end-to-end action continued and Bronco got their goal, following a defensive error which allowed Smith to force the ball to the back of the net, two-all.
The second stanza saw less chances, but Smith added the third to put his side in the lead for the first time in the game.
His hat-trick, which helped him become the tournament’s top goal-scorer, was enough to complete his side’s memorable title defence.
“The boys produced overwhelming performances throughout the tournament,” said Bronco owner Albert Lottering.
“Thank you to all the players, head coach Glurmin Mafungo and the entire management. And, to all our supporters: thank you carrying us through.”
Catalonians Football Club defeated Rebels Football Club 4-3 in the Open Section final.
Other results:
U-10: Sun United vs Boksburg City FC – Boksburg won 1-0
U-12: Popcorn Valley vs Sun United – Popcorn Valley won on penalties
U-14: Sun United vs Samba Boys – United won on penalties
U-16: Popcorn Valley FC vs Sun United – Popcorn Valley won on penalties
U-18: Sun United vs SCB Independiente – Independiente won on penalties – @SabeloBoksburg
