PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - The Safa Eden Regional League 2022/23 season title winners Oriented Birds got three vital points away from home when they beat Royal Blues 3-2 in a Western Cape ABC Motsepe Provincial League fixture on Saturday 1 February at Rustdene Stadium in Beaufort West.
Star of game
Lakhiwe Menze (17) of the Birds was the star of the game, scoring a hat-trick.
With 20 points, the Birds are in second place in the WC ABC Motsepe league log, and are fighting for a play-off spot in the provincial competition.
The Birds have played 10 games, winning six, drawing two, and losing two.
Central Karoo Region's Royal Blues are in the third place, with 17 points.
Difficult situation
In the difficult situation of playing in their opponents' back yard, where spectators put pressure on visiting teams, the Birds scored two important goals in the first half - putting pressure on Royal Blues' back line.
The second half saw the home team on fire, creating opportunities as they searched for their first goal.
After putting sustained pressure on the Birds, they managed to hit the back of the net twice.
Dying moments
In the dying moments of the game, Menze launched a dangerous attack and, after placing the Royal Blues back line under threat, scored his third, winning goal.
Khanyisani Radebe, the Birds skipper, told the Knysna-Plett Herald that playing away from home "is always very difficult when everyone is supporting the home team".
"It was a very sunny, hot day in Beaufort West, but as a team we managed to get a positive result in a tight situation," Radebe said.
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