KES stuns Jeppe to clinch derby bragging rights
A solid defensive effort, coupled with a moment of magic late in the game, sealed a hard-fought 1-0 victory for King Edward VII (KES) over their rivals, Jeppe High School for Boys, in Johannesburg on Saturday.
The “Jozi Derby”, as it’s widely known, was touted to entertain and thrill – it’s safe to say it lived up to the hype.
The hosts headed into the clash as the slight favourites, considering their impressive run at home over the past 12 months.
Before the meeting, Jeppe had not lost on the Boden AstroTurf in well over a year. The only blemish on their home record was a 2-2 draw with St Stithians College last month.
KES, however, carried some impressive momentum into the derby showdown after an outstanding showing at the KES Easter Festival a week ago.
However, as the season has already revealed, history in schoolboy hockey counts for little; it’s all about showing up on the day and seizing one’s opportunities, and the visitors had one early in the contest when Connor Kuijers found himself in a one-on-one with the Jeppe goalkeeper Jason Pressly, but he pulled his shot wide.
The action was frantic, with the game being played at an extremely high pace.
Both goalkeepers, Pressly and Ruaan du Toit, were called into action before the conclusion of the chukka.
When Jeppe was awarded a penalty corner, Du Toit pulled off a save with his legs to keep out Kade Lottering‘s shot on goal.
At the opposite end of the turf, Andrew Arouca’s drag flick was rejected by a determined Pressly, and the scores remained deadlocked.
The game’s tempo increased in the second chukka, albeit frequent turnovers halted the protagonists’ forward momentum.
Jeppe, however, dominated possession and forced KES to defend deep for most of the quarter.
At the halftime break, it was still a goalless affair, but KES broke through in the third chukka.
After solid build-up play from the back, Rofhatutshedzwa Mathabi found Zachary Klein on the left-hand side, and he laid the ball off to Yusuf Smith, who made a penetrating run into the circle, which resulted in a short corner for KES.
The Red Sticks then pulled off a training ground variation, and Blaine Candy lofted the ball into the back of the net for the opener.
Jeppe pushed hard for an equaliser in the final chukka and came close several times, but KES stood firm to secure a hard-fought win.
It was the side’s fifth victory in a row and their first against Jeppe under coach Siya Sityana, who joined the school this year.
KES will next shift its attention to Hoërskool Noordheuwel on the coming weekend, while Jeppe will aim to bounce back when they host a high-flying Westville Boys’ High side in their annual exchange derby.
In other matches, Affies defeated Paarl Gimnasium 3-1 in Pretoria on Friday, while Pretoria Boys High recorded a 2-0 win against Parktown.
Results
KES 1-0 Jeppe
Affies 3-1 Paarl Gim
Pretoria Boys High 2-0 Parktown Boys High
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