Westridge returns to Premier Cup action

Westridge FC will have their work cut out when they face Ubuntu Academy in their opening fixture at this year’s under-19 Bayhill Premier Cup today, Wednesday March 27, at Erica Park, Belhar, at 4pm.

The match is also the tournament’s opening game with both sides looking to get their campaigns off to a good start.

Slotted in Group B, along with Cape Town City FC and Safa CT Academy and Ubuntu, Westridge is the only Mitchell’s Plain side, other than hosts Bayhill United, representing the area at this year’s tournament.

Captain Joshua Brooks, 17, a matric pupil at Westridge High, and some of his teammates are set to make their debut at this year’s showpiece.

By the looks of it, the Westridge players have been thrown in the deep end, in a group that could be considered a challenging one on paper. But the lads are up for it, says Joshua. The youngster, nicknamed “Boere” by his teammates, practically grew up at Westridge and believes questions will be answered on the pitch.

Although this will be his first Premier Cup experience, it’s not exactly his first rodeo, as he’s played in various local tournaments and even had a taste of international competition at the age of 12, when invited by Ikapa to play in the Dallas Cup in Texas.

“I have been playing soccer since the age of 8 and I have always played for Westridge.This will be my second year as under-18 captain,” he said.

“Yes, this will be my first Bayhill, not only mine, but for my teammates as well. All I expect in this tournament is for everyone to do their best and see how far we can go,” he said.

“The play-offs were tough, we faced some very good teams like Maties and FC Porto and we even had injuries within the team, so it was very tough. But, the team fought hard and they never gave up no matter how difficult it got,” said Joshua, who has also worn the captain’s armband at under-10, under-12,under-14 and under-16 level.

It’s been awhile since Westridge have made an appearance at the Premier Cup, the last time was in 2000 when they made it to the last round of 16.

However, coaches Clifford Engelbrecht and Neale Manuel believe their young charges have what it takes to cause an upset despite their side’s relative inexperience.

“Juniors are the future of any club,” said Engelbrecht, “at least 80% came through the junior ranks. Our short-term goal is to win the Bayhill tournament. Our long-term goal is to have a semi-pro franchise, so that we can expose our talent on a higher stage.”

Although under no illusions about the challenges that await them, Engelbrecht and Manuel have confidence in the youngsters’ abilities.

“Yes it is a tough group we’re in, but there's always the underdog surprise in any tournament,” said Engelbrecht. “The plan is to be fearless and to play according to our strength.” Exactly what got them through the play-offs, he said, as they’ve had two weeks to prepare the boys without the benefit of a proper training facility. “We were training at the Westridge Gardens during the round robin period, which meant our fitness was 50-60%. We overcome those challenges by setting up formations which suit our fitness level. Teamwork and following instructions was key during this period,” he said.

The formula seems have worked well over the last seven to eight years during which Westridge managed to reach a Coke Cup semi-final and the semi-finals of the Castle league play-offs on two occasions.

“Also, our First Division team won the league and knockout last season, our under-18 team ended second in the league and reached the current Bayhill tournament,” said Engelbrecht.

“Änd of course, not forgetting our loyal band of supporters,” he said. “Our supporters are awesome, they are called the Red Army. The players have a good fighting spirit and the club loves to entertain their supporters.”

An equally proud moment for colleague Manuel, who has been with the club since 2016, as the youngsters embark on their quest for Premier Cup glory.

“This is the first year that we made it to the Bayhill tournament in 21 years. Previous seasons the club has not made it to the group stages, hence the reason we are very proud of our boys,” he said.

“The play-offs were a long and tough journey, playing teams from different LFA. We made it to the play-offs without losing a game in the group stages. Our highlight was going down 2-0 in the last game of the group stages against FC Porto. We came back stronger and showed some character by taking the lead 3-2 then they came back to make it 3-3 but by then we already secured a place in the play-offs,” he said.

“Our plan is simple, to compete to the best of our ability and play the game we always do,” he said..