Junior Blues impressive ahead of new football season
The u-16s will be playing in the Easterns u-17 Super League under South African Football Association (SAFA) rules.
The Boksburg Football Club’s u-16 side scored 12 goals in two games at a friendly tournament at the Boksburg Stadium on February 10, as they continued to prepare for this year’s season.
In their first game, where coach Ernest Seforo fielded what looked more-or-less his strongest XI, his side netted two goals in the first stanza by Jason de Koker and Shane Radebe before forward Rudean Peters scored the game’s fifth goal to seal the win for the Blues.
The half-time score between the Blues and Geluksdal Community FC was 2-1.
Whereas the first stanza was a close affair with little separating the two sides, it was more Boksburg after the interval.
The best opportunity of the second-half – and probably of the entire game – fell to Peters. A delicious through pass from deep in the midfield released him on a one-on-one with the visitors’ goalkeeper with all the time but his effort hit the upright and went out of play.
It could’ve been Boksburg 3, Geluksdal 1 but instead, the local outfit was made to pay in the opposite direction shortly after Peters’ mishap as the visitors levelled matters through the first goal of the half to make it two-all.
Seforo’s men pushed in search of an advantage and more football started to be played in Geluksdal’s half.
It was all Boksburg following Geluksdal’s leveller and Peters was at it again, this time from a corner kick. He met an aerial rebound with an overhead kick but he failed to connect his spectacular effort and the visitors survived.
Their survival was short lived, however, as Peters finally got his deserved goal following a clearance mistake by the Geluksdal goal minder.
The keeper intended to pass his goal-kick to a teammate only for the pass to be intercepted before being released to Peters, whose first time shot hit the back of the net to make it 3-2.
The Blues’ second fixture was against Beloved FC from Vosloorus – a fixture coach Seforo lamented.
“They didn’t give us a game at all. We beat them 9-1, these kinds of games don’t really show you where you need to improve.”
The Boksburg senior side was also in action on the day and they beat East Rand FC 5-3 after a surprising 2-1 loss to the same Geluksdal outfit which got undone by the junior Blues.
- Selection headache
Coach Seforo and his management team face a selection headache as the season nears. Having started with approximately 50 players during a recent trials session, the big group has to be trimmed to 21 come final selection.
Quizzed on the performance versus Geluksdal, the mentor said: “The boys played well, I’m happy considering that Geluksdal were fielding senior players whom some played against our senior side. My only concern is having to pick a squad of 21 out of so many players.”
Seforo and his management team have until late March to trim the group with the season scheduled to begin on the first week of April after the Easter holiday.
SAFA does not have u-16s and with Easterns operating under SAFA rules – the junior Blues will have their work cut out.
The junior Blues’ managerial team consists of Seforo (head coach), Khaya Phungwayo (assistant coach) and Rothney Peters (team manager). – @SabeloBoksburg
