Red Eagles rise up to Eden Regional League

KNYSNA FOOTBALL NEWS - Instead of just the two clubs already in the Safa Eden Regional League, the Knysna Local Football Association (KLFA) will now be represented by three after Red Eagles secured second place in the play-offs this past weekend.

The club faced stiff competition from the winners of the five other LFAs that fall under the jurisdiction of Safa Eden during a weekend of exciting soccer action from 13 to 15 August.

Red Eagles' play-off weekend got underway on home turf as they faced off with Junior Golden Stars (JGS) from Plettenberg Bay at the Hornlee Sports Grounds on Friday evening.

Red Eagles got off to a good start, scoring two goals in the first half to set themselves up well for what would be a tough second half. JGS pulled a goal back midway through the second half after a mistake from the Red Eagles goalkeeper.

An inability to turn possession into sufficient chances, combined with a lack of finishing of the few second-half chances they had, put Red Eagles in danger of relinquishing their lead. But they ultimately hung on for a 2-1 win with their strong first half showing enough to clinch victory.

Red Eagles captain William Koense in action in their Friday clash.

For the second and third day of games, the action moved over to Plett. Saturday went in favour of Red Eagles too, who got the day off to a phenomenal start with a resounding 7-1 victory over Zama Zama from Riversdale.

Their second game of the day would be far tougher, however, as they came up against Baruch from Mossel Bay. Nonetheless they were able to secure a narrow 1-0 victory that put them top of the play-off log going into Sunday.

All they needed to secure promotion to the Regional League was a draw from one of their last two games and for Baruch to drop points. Playing against a stubborn and tough Springroses team from Oudtshoorn, Red Eagles managed a 2-2 draw in the first game of the day while Baruch lost 3-0 against Raul Stars.

With promotion secured, their opposition in the final game were Raul Stars from George, who only needed a draw to go through.

Raul Stars did more than that, beating Red Eagles 1-0 to finish top of the play-off table, with Red Eagles in second.

This sees Raul Stars and Red Eagles qualify for the Safa Eden Men's Regional League for the 2021/22 season. Red Eagles will join CX Celtics and FC United as the third Knysna side in the league.

Red Eagles and Junior Golden Stars players gather for a corner kick.
Photos: Blake Linder