Inspirational captain Neo Baloyi fires Rosina Sedibane to victory

Just when Rosina Sedibane Modiba Sports School‘s fortunes appeared to be on the up, following a hard-fought draw at home to the table-topping and dominant Mamelodi Sundowns, things took a quick step back a week later.

Up against second placed Kaizer Chiefs at Naturena Village, coach Mpho Motala‘s side took on coach David Mathebula‘s charges and were handed a 0-2 defeat. 

A week later, Motala’s troops experienced a further dip in their fortunes, going down 1-2 to Wits Junior at Marks Park, which was only the second win of the season for the bottom-of-the-table club.

Heading into round 22 on the weekend, something had to be done in the Pretoria-based side. They needed a victory to get their campaign back on track. At times during the season, they have shown an ability to be a contender, and they needed to tap into that form.

Motala gathered his players together to prime them for the challenge of a dangerous TS Galaxy side, which has consistently featured in the top five of the league standings. Then, Rosina’s captain Neo Baloyi led the way, setting the example for his team-mates to follow.

The Pretoria team conceded a goal, but Baloyi grabbed a hattrick to guide his team to an upset victory. With the win came a three-place jump in the standings, with Rosina rising from 14th place to 11th place ahead of matchday 23.

Baloyi’s outstanding performance was highlighted by a spectacular long-range free kick, which the skipper deposited into the top right-hand corner, sending the commentators searching for superlatives and the spectators into rapturous cheers.

His other goals were also from set pieces, with one of them being a spot kick.

“We played really good opponents. They were really organised,” coach Motala told SuperSport Schools Plus after his charges’ much-needed 3-1 victory over TS Galaxy.

“But I thought we had a good plan. We held our lines defensively.

“I thought we could’ve scored a lot of goals, especially on the wings. I’m happy for the boys, they fought really hard.” he said.

RESULTS

Kathorus Hyper Academy 1-7 Kaizer Chiefs
Mamelodi Sundowns 2-0 Jomo Cosmos
Panorama FC 0-1 Highlands Park
Randburg AFC 0-1 Wits Junior
Remember Elite Sport Academy 1-1 Tuks
Rosina Sedibane Modiba Sports School 3-1 TS Galaxy
School of Excellence 3-1 SuperSport United
Sevens Academy 1-2 East Rand Athletic Club