Northwood and DHS share the spoils in an enthralling clash

Northwood and Durban High School fought their way to a 2-2 draw when the sides locked horns at The Coliseum at DHS on Friday night.
The Durban rivals have been unable to produce a winner in their past two encounters. Earlier this season, they played to a 3-3 draw at Northwood.
“The boys haven’t played since the IPTs, but I do think a little break would have done them well. We might be a bit rusty but refreshed and ready to go,” Justin Collins, the Northwood coach, had said ahead of the match.
Any reservations and concerns about rustiness that Collins might have had were brushed aside immediately. Northwood was quickly out of the blocks, combining brilliantly from the pass back and connecting their passes for an early goal through Luke Allen in the first 30 seconds of the game. That quick goal left Keegan Hezlett‘s side shell-shocked but determined to mount a response.
“We didn’t let that goal dampen our spirits. We were quietly confident, and we had a lot of control, and there was a good feeling in the camp,” Hezlett said.
After calming their nerves, the Horseflies seized control of the chukka as they went in search of an equaliser.
Then, DHS emerged for the second chukka looking even more menacing. Spurred on by their home supporters, it did not take too long before they levelled matters through Lethabo Mathabela, who fired a brilliant shot past Northwood’s SA Schools’ goalkeeper Harlee Jagga just over eight minutes left in the quarter.
DHS’s dominance paid off again six minutes later when they found the back of the net to take the lead.
It was, once more, another team effort. Ruben Peters received a pass in the circle and instead of going for goal, he laid off a pass to Lebanzi Zulu, who finished off the move by firing into the roof of the net.
“It was a goal that really showed off the boys’ composure under pressure,” Hezlett said.
The home side dominated possession in the second half. They created two clear-cut opportunities to further extend their advantage but they were denied by Jagga, who pulled off a couple of great saves.
Those stops appeared to instil a sense of hope in Collins’ players, who flipped a switch. They went from playing second fiddle to taking charge as they pursued a second goal.
However, their reward was not immediate. Northwood had to fight until the last seconds to earn a draw.
Instead of allowing their shoulders to slump and watching the seconds wind down, the Knights launched wave after wave of attack in the last two minutes of the clash and one of those forays into the DHS circle won them a penalty stroke just 40 seconds from full-time.
The reliable Trent Jessop made no mistake as he tucked the ball past the DHS goalkeeper to level the scores and ensure that Collins and his team made the return trip to Northwood with their honour intact.
“I am very proud of my guys. They dug deep. Obviously, because they are coming from a long break, the fitness levels weren’t there, but we showed some character and dug deep to get the 2-2 draw,” Collins said after the match.
“DHS put us under pressure for long periods of time. And they’re really skilful with a lot of speed and good on the counterattack.”
Hezlett would have loved to come away from the contest with a victory and was a little disappointed with the result after his side conceded a goal in the last minute. However, he was happy with the manner in which his charges acquitted themselves.
“Our movement off the ball was exceptional, probably the best it’s been this season, and we moved the ball from left to right really well.
“We played the ball into the middle of the field and then got the ball going on the outside. We really worked the baseline well from an attacking point of view,” he said.
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