Coke Cup last round of 16 a thrilling affair
Former champions Hanover Park were left disappointed following their 5-4 defeat on penalties against Seaside Spurs, from Ocean View, in a Coca-Cola Amateur Cup last round of 16 match, played at the Rooikrans sports complex, in Grassy Park, at the weekend.
Parking inside the venue was difficult to find with cars struggling to get in and out, the weather chilly but sunny and as expected, the soccer was brilliant.
Matches were played across all divisions, including the women’s section, under -18s and seniors.
For Hanover Park coach Andrew Pequeno, it was a case of déjà vu with history repeating itself as his side lost by the same margin in last year’s quarter-final clash against Rygersdal.
Champions in 2009 and 2012, Hanover Park are certainly no strangers to big games. However, captain Nathan Idas and co had their work cut out going up against an outfit that included a number of well-travelled journeymen, including Franklin Cale and Diego Brown.
In an evenly-matched contest, both sides brought on the heat from the get go, with a number of missed opportunities on both ends of the pitch.
Hanover Park drew first blood, thanks to what Pequeno describes as a “deft” finish at the near post from the lanky Mickyle George, courtesy of a quality left-footed cross from Ronnie Matthys, to send his side leading 1-0 going into the break.
“I felt we dominated the first half and we went into halftime 1-0 up,” he said.
“We spurned a number of good opportunities in the first half and that came back to bite us when Seaside Spurs equalised in the second half.
“We kept going and we had some half chances but we could not score the decisive goal. Mickyle George, our goalscorer, worked tirelessly up front and Nathan Idas and Ganief Karriem were solid in defence. Unfortunately, the lottery of a penalty shootout resulted in our missed final spot kick deciding the tie. I wish Seaside Spurs all the best in the next round and I am so happy that the Coke Cup is alive and kicking looking at the huge numbers that turned out yesterday for all the matches,” Pequeno said.
Results
Senior men’s:
Saxon Rovers 1(2) - 1 (4) Rebels
Seaside Spurs 1(5) - 1(4) Hanover Park
D&G Orient 0(5) - 0(4) Wynberg St Johns
Two For Joy 3(4) - 3 (5) Clover
Vasco Da Gama 0 - 5 Rygersdal
Diadora 1(4) - 1(3) FC CAFDA
Westridge 1 - 4 Bishop Lavis
Women’s last 16 results:
Burnley 6 - 0 Rygate Ladies
UCT 1 - 0 Spurs WFC
IKamva Ladies 1 - 3 Santos Ladies
Hanover Park ladies 0 - 8 Invincible Cravenby
Shosholoza 4 - 0 UWC
Hotspurs Ladies 11 - 0 Winnies
Heideveld FFA 3 - 1 HBUFC
Dangerous Heroes 6 - 1 CR Vasco Da Gama
Boys under-18 results:
Blue Down Spurs 1 - 3 D&G Orient
Grassy Park United 1 - 0 Cape Town Spurs
Connoisseur Spurs 0 - 2 Cape Town City
Ulana Academy 2 - 1 Bayview FC
SSS Academy 0 -1 Mfolosi
Ubuntu Football 1(7) - 1(6) HBUFC
Valhalla 0 (5) - 0(4) FN Rangers
Harvest Academy 0(1) - 0(3) Woodlands United
