Southampton FC could be forgiven for being unlucky not to lift this year’s Fulham under-18 Tournament of Hope trophy after they lost 3-2 on penalties in the final against Langa’s Don’t Mess With Texas, following a goalless draw, in Mitchell’s Plain at the weekend.
The Parkwood side was on point in the play-off stages, topping Group F – which also had Mitchell’s Plain sides Westridge, Woodlands and hosts Fulham – with seven points after winning two and drawing one of their three matches.They went on to beat Bayhill 3-1 on penalties in the last 16, Grassy Park 3-2 also on penalties in the quarter-finals and Rock A Fellas 1-0 in the semis before losing to Texas in the final.
There was even more disappointment for, 2015 champions Greenwood Athletic, as they could not defend their title, going down 4-3 on penalties against Athlone’s Avendale Athletico in the quarter-final.
In its fourth year, the tournament saw 36 teams battling it out over three days at Portland Sports field and Texas went on to win the competition after beating Southampton 3-2 on penalties, in the final.
Slotted in Group B, Greenwood had an almost perfect record in the early stages, topping their group with 10 points after winning three and drawing one of their four matches.
They were also lethal in front of goal, scoring four and conceding only two in the process.
However, they didn’t have an ideal start to the competition, playing to a goalless draw against Strandfontein in their group opener.
That proved to be the motivation they needed as they went on to win their next three group matches.
Their first victims were Beacon Spurs, whom they beat 2-1. That was followed by two more victories – 3-1 against Kuilsriver and 1-0 against Norway Parks – to book their spot in the last 16, against Blue Downs Spurs.
The Steenberg side were, once again, in no giving mood, beating the northern suburbs side 3-1 bo book their spot in the quarter-finals against an equally impressive Avendale side.
There was not much that separated the two sides in this encounter, which ended in a goalless draw. The Athlone side, however, went on to win 4-3 on penalties, ending Greenwood’s dream of defending their title.
Coach Nadeem Fredericks admitted they lost to a good team on the day. He even noted that, looking at the games matches they played and the other teams in the competition, he was convinced the Athlone outfit was the only side that had what it took to stop them from winning their second title in a row.
“The boys were brilliant and did exactly what we asked of them. We’ve been scoring freely throughout the competition but Avendale proved to be a tough side, their defence was watertight hence we couldn’t get a break through. We did have two clear chances, however, but the boys couldn’t capitalise,” he said.
“Going to penalties we knew that it could go either way and it was Avendale who won,” he said.
Fredericks said people are still going to see a lot of his players in the near future. This, he said, was because a bulk of them were under the age of 17, which meant they qualify to play in competitions like the Knockout Challenge and the Premier Cup.
“In fact, we are already preparing for next year’s Premier Cup and these boys are going to play a big role in our quest,” he noted.
Chairman of the tournament’s organising committee, Noel Taylor, said the response from clubs before, during and after the tournament was overwhelming.
“We have already received great feedback from a couple of clubs thanking us for hosting this successful event,” he said on Monday, the day after the final was played.
“With the buildup when we started on Friday, I noticed that it was going to be difficult to determine the end results as the standard was very high. With the tournament growing, it became more competitive, clubs became stronger and, according to our stats, there were not many goals scored, which resulted in most matches being decided on penalties,” he said.
Taylor also noted that there were a number of challenges, in the process, too. He said moving to an alternative venue and working on improving the standard of refereeing are among the things they have noted.
“Overall it was a great soccer weekend and with only one injury recorded and was dealt with in a very professional manner. I thank the whole of Fulham Tournament committee for a job well done,” he said.
