The unpredictability of the Hollywoodbets Third Division campaign has come to the fore during the last round of fixtures before the league goes into ‘hibernation’ for the festive break.
The biggest shock was that of the log leader Cape Town City who relinquished their unbeaten record going down 2-0 to Woodlands United in Portlands, Mitchells Plain on Sunday afternoon.
Kyle Carelse and Keanan Andrews were responsible for the visitor’s demise while the young (Under-21) goalie Abdul Groep rewarded his coach Jonathan Mufumbi for the confidence shown in him with some telling saves.
“We had a good hard chat after Friday’s loss to FC Hout Bay and the response was positive which I’m very happy with,” said Mufumbi. “It is pleasing to see the youngsters are coming to the party.”
This script was not on the cards, especially after City’s hard-fought 2-1 win against a spirited Crystal Palace on Friday at the Greens in Manenberg where they had to come from behind to preserve their perfect record.
Thus there were expectations that the young Citizens were to finish the year on a high – and undefeated. But City was given a reality check by their less influential opponents who used every bit of their home conditions to gain the advantage.
This prompted City’s coach Byron Cottle to concede that it was a bad and unforgettable day at the office.
“Eish! It just wasn’t our day,” Cottle admitted to No Bones with Jones.
“I rotated the squad completely and played an even younger team. I must add that the field was also terrible for a game of football. Woodlands played route (football) one from the start and then punished us for our mistake.
“That said, I must give them credit, they were up for the game and played according to the conditions. Also, their crowd was loud and got behind them which helped them a lot,” Cottle added.
Despite this setback, City remains on top of the table heading into the Christmas break. This followed after another shock result was recorded when the only other undefeated outfit, Vasco da Gama, had to settle for a point in their home fixture against FC Hout Bay.
This draw meant that City (20 points) set the pace with Vasco da Gama (19) – and Palace (18), who saw off Wanderers FC in Langa on Sunday. Matroosfontein (17) FC closed the gap on the pacesetters with a narrow 1-0 away win against Premier United at Downberg Road in Hanover Park.
Weekends results as follows:
Sunday:
Wanderers FC 0, Crystal Palace 2
Saxon Rovers 0, Jomos Power 0
Woodlands United 2, Cape Towmn City 0
Trinitarians 0, Goal50 United 0
Premier United 0, Matroosfontein
Vasco da Gama 1, FC Hout Bay 1
Camps Bay 2, Ocean View 0
Saturday:
Jomos Power 2, Silver Spurs 1
Friday:
JLZwane 1, Trinitarians 1
FC Hout Bay 3, Woodlands United 0
Goal 50 United 1, Wanderers 1
Matroosfontein 1, Seaside Spurs 1
Premier United 2, Camps Bay 0
