Forbes shines as Kearsney upsets DHS
Dylan Forbes scored a brace to inspire Kearsney College to a 3-0 win over Durban High School (DHS) in their Friday Nite Lights contest on the Mason Astro, in Botha’s Hill.
“It was a great result for us, considering that DHS is perceived to be better than us.
“If you compare, we’re a team that has one KZN Coastal u18A representative, Keegan de Jager, and they have six players in the u18A side. So, man for man, they certainly are perceived to be better than us,” Keegan Pearce, the Kearsney coach, told SuperSport Schools News.
Kearsney went into the contest with a plan. They were acutely aware of DHS’s attacking threats in one-on-one duels. They also understood the danger posed by Chris Abrahams, the visitors’ captain, in the left pocket, coupled with his ability to play all the way across to the right and stretch teams
“One of our key themes defensively was to make sure that we nullify their attacking threat. Our plan was not to win the ball,” Pearce revealed. “We planned to keep the ball on the outside if it came into that channel, and not be beaten on the inside. And I think we did that extremely well.”
Kearsney began the contest on the front foot, courtesy of a goal by Dylan Forbes four minutes into the match. After scoring, the hosts tried their best to maintain their momentum while sticking to their defensive principles.
An overarching theme in Kearsney’s fortunes this season has been that they have found success when they score more than a single goal. Defending a one-goal lead has too often led to either a draw or a defeat. The hosts knew that they couldn’t sit back and defend their one-goal advantage.
They’d worked hard to create more goal-scoring opportunities while preparing for the game, with a focus on creating larger spaces for the ball carrier to lead into when attacking.
“We pride ourselves on having worked really hard at getting outcomes inside the circle with a lot of congested numbers. We did that by winning a few short corners, by carrying hard to the baseline, and not overcrowding,” Pearce elaborated.
That approach bore fruit when Simnene Kubheka doubled their lead early in the second chukka. With a two-goal cushion, Kearsney was able to control the tempo of the contest; the longer DHS went without a goal, the more they overextended themselves in an effort to claw their way back into the game.
When Forbes scored his second goal, Kearsney’s third, in the fourth chukka, it was clear there was no way back for DHS. They kept fighting to the final whistle, but Kearsney kept a clean sheet.
“It was an incredible atmosphere. The entire school was out for Kearsney, and it was a really good game, despite the fact that DHS didn’t score. They are a quality outfit that is good to watch,” Pearce said.
Kearsney, who have just five games left in the season, will be keen to carry the momentum from their victory over DHS into their forthcoming fixtures.
“We were very chuffed and proud of the win, and our momentum is building. We went to Nomads this year early on and lost four out of five. Since then, we have not lost two in a row. We have slowly either drawn games or won them, which is really promising,” Pearce concluded.
Result
Kearsney 3-0 DHS
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