Jeppe leaves it late to edge out KES
Jeppe High School for Boys stole in for a late goal and a 3-2 victory over King Edward VII (KES) on the Boden AstroTurf on Saturday to extend their winning ways against their Johannesburg rivals.
While it was Jeppe’s 10th win in the last 11 meetings between the schools, it had appeared, though, that KES was on course to halt that run of success.
The visitors led 2-1 in the third chukka, but Jeppe, then, found an equaliser and manufactured an all-important winner in the final chukka.
The visitors played well, but coach Shamin Naidoo lamented his charges’ unconverted chances, which would have changed the outcome.
“I thought we executed our game plan well,” he said. “We had more chances that we could have converted on the day, which let us down.”
Still, he was encouraged by his team’s showing. Since a winless start at the Nomads Festival, they’ve begun to find their feet. At the start of the second term, they notched a treasured 3-2 win over their neighbours and rivals, St John’s College, and drew 2-2 with Parktown Boys’ High.
The Red Sticks were well beaten at Pretoria Boys High last weekend, going down 0-4, but they’re improving, Naidoo said.
“The team is taking shape, and we look forward to the next few games. We are off next weekend, then we have St Benedict’s and the Aitken Cup in the next two weeks,” Naidoo told SuperSport Schools.
Jeppe’s coach, Siya Sityana, while pleased to have come away with the win, said there is more work that needs to be done.
“A win is always a good result, especially against a big rival, but we have to go back to the drawing board and fix some mistakes, and there is a lot of improvement needed,” Sityana said candidly.
“We are still far from where we want to be, but part of it is to win these big games. Especially from being 1-2 down, to win it 3-2 was encouraging and, I can tell you, that KES team wanted it badly.”
Meanwhile, Pretoria Boys High School (PBHS) handled matters with aplomb at Parktown Boys’ High in their Saturday clash.
They seized the initiative in the first chukka, striking twice, to put the hosts on the back foot.
The teams turned with Boys High still two goals to the good but, when they added a third in the third chukka, they comfortably cruised to a 3-0 win.
They’ve found some good form in recent weeks, with the victory over Parktown following a 4-0 success against KES and a 2-1 win over St Alban’s College.
