Woodlands United FC under-18s booked their spot in the Coke Cup semi-final with a thrilling 3-2 victory against Valhalla Park United, in rainy and windy conditions, at the Dunoon sports complex, at the weekend.
Leading 3-0 going into the break, courtesy of a brace by Ethan Benjamin and Bart Benito, the Woody Boys faced an uphill battle in the second half, playing against the wind and with Valhalla pushing strongly in the latter stages of the game, threatening to equalise matters before the final whistle blew.
This was always going to be a big match and miserable weather conditions did not help either side. Woodlands goalkeeper Ciyano Paulse was kept busy in the second half, pulling off a number of great saves to help see his side through to the next round.
“He developed his skills at a young age and is our senior team’s goalkeeper as well. So he’s been picking up many experiences on that level, said coach Elric Claasen.
“He is confident in what he does, he is a really great distributor with great reflexes. he saves us a lot when we need him the most,” said Claasen.
As things stand, Woodlands did what matters most, leaving their opponents to play catchup. Captain Shabier Adams and company can be forgiven for celebrating like they’ve won a final. This was a tough one and a really important victory. On the coaching side of things, Claasen, assistant coach Kyle Young and team manager Gershwin Wallace were at their wits end but ultimately, an all-round team effort ensured victory.
“We had our nerves because we knew this is the business stage of the competition but we were also confident, confident in our preparation and our boys,” said assistant coach, Young.
“ The first half was tricky with the wind, but good as it allowed us to move quicker forward and get chances, and with the chances we created we scored which was a good advantage for us going into the break.
“Our first goal came from a set piece, was not well-taken but the ball came out then was shot back in, the goalie made a good save against the post but the rebound fell to Ethen.
Our second goal was a bit of brilliance from Ethan, again taking a shot from distance and the goalkeeper had no chance of saving it. Our third goal was another well worked set piece which landed on the head of Benito and he finished it off well,” Young said.
“We knew it was going to be tough playing against the wind, we tweaked the system a bit, made a change and just told them to close Valhalla down when they’re in shooting range. We saw they wanted to pass, so we basically forced them to pass away from goal and not get in any shots that could lead to goal,” he said.
Despite the final outcome, Valhalla Park mentor, Ashley Olivier, can afford to give his young charges a pat on the back.
“The plan is to never panic,” he said, “Playing against the wind in the first half was really bad yet we were able to penetrate the game by playing on the ground.
“At half, we discussed the reality of conceding early and playing against the wind. Our philosophy is to adjust under pressure and play forward into the final third,” he said.
And adjusted they did, with ace goal poacher Liam van Reenen slotting home a penalty in the second half, after 13-year-old Yaseen Mannies was taken down in the box .
Four minutes later, Van Reenen, whom the coach calls their “specialist” found the back of the net once more. “We received a very tight free kick and Liam the specialist put it away for us, ” Olivier said.
With the clock ticking, Valhalla can consider themselves unlucky not to find that third elusive goal.
Happy with the result going their way, Woodlands’ Young was quick to heap praise on his opponents. “Yeah they showed some good fighting spirit and they never gave up. The decision went against us conceding the penalty and once they scored, they were always going to push after. But we just kept the players on their toes, kept pushing, kept fighting, making sure they won battles and kept their heads in place. It eventually was enough to see us over the line,” he said.
Young and the rest of the squad are hoping the weather gods will smile upon them in the next round of matches,scheduled to be played at Westridge, in two weeks time. Sunday’s inclement weather saw a number of matches being called off
We are looking forward to the next round and close to home which will help bring out our numbers as a club, these boys deserve the support. They have fought hard to come this far, we just want to thank the fans, the support we got on Sunday and throughout the competition was amazing and a true blessing. Also a thank you to the coaching staff, the club as a whole for supporting us step by step through this season. On to the next round we go, he said.
