Hanover Park FC coach Anwar Gallant will probably have to scratch head when he selects his squad for their upcoming ABC Motsepe League fixture against Vasco da Gama at the Downberg Road Sport Complex on Friday evening.
Gallant will have to decide if he’s sticking with the same starting XI he used against the FN Rangers or will he reward his super subs for the impact they made during their 2-0 win at a packed Royal Road Sport Complex over the weekend.
Be that as it may, Gallant was clearly happy to bounce back with a positive result against a quality side like Rangers after their 1-2 loss against Cape Town Spurs a week prior.
There was very little separating the Rangers and Hanover Park FC in the first half, with both not capitalizing on their respective chances created, which is why they had to settle for a 0-0 scoreline at halftime.
The game sprung to life after the break when the supersubs were introduced and both had a hand in their goals. First Imtiyaaz Ruiters converted a penalty after the former Santos player Peter Wade was fouled in the penalty area, while Morne Abrahams doubled the visitor’s lead after some good assist play by Yaseen Hartley to seal an unexpected but fantastic result – especially after their blip against Spurs last week.
Gallant explained to No Bones with Jones. “Our halftime changes helped us gain a bit of momentum as both substitutes did extremely well and both had a hand in our goals. We were forced into an early change due to injury and that made us lose some rhythm, you know. Both teams had great chances to go ahead. Hats off to those boys who were fasting but still put in great shifts. This shows great character and I’m very satisfied,” Gallant added.
Gallant is well aware that on another day things could have been completely different as Rangers gave as good as they got. The sending off of Luke Camelo for dissent also compounded the home side’s misery.
“You know what coach Arreshaat Daniels and Coach Shaun Oliver are about,” Gallant further added.
“Rangers getting a red card and going down to 10 men had a big influence on the game. Our boys could settle and they started playing better football. We were thankful to walk away with all three points. Thank you to all the supporters who came out to watch the match as the great atmosphere helped,” Gallant concluded.
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY CONRAY SWAIL
