Soccer on the ball again

Gallery Update

KNYSNA FOOTBALL NEWS - Soccer continued its resumption in Knysna last weekend with a friendly tournament at the Hornlee Sports Ground.

Prior to the tournament, some friendly matches were played between local clubs on 6 and 7 March, but before that, officially structured amateur soccer was non-existent in the region for roughly a year.

The final round of Knysna Local Football Association (KLFA) Domestic League fixtures were played prior to the breakout of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the last game taking place on 15 March last year.

Ever since, it's been a battle to get the sport going again with various factors hindering its much-anticipated return.

Finally, after much administrative work behind the scenes, the KLFA approved its paid-up members' return to training about a month ago. This was the start of their slow re-entry into action, with the vast majority of players needing to shake off the dust and regain their fitness.

With no spectators allowed at the ground, the tournament kicked off with matches between Red Eagles and United Brothers, and Knysna Swallows and Oupad FC. Thanks to two penalty saves from their goalkeeper, Red Eagles were able to see their opponents off 4-2 to move on to the final, where they would play against Knysna Swallows, who had earned a tough 1-0 win against Oupad.

Photo gallery: Soccer on the go again

Ruwaan Baadjies looks to evade a tackle from a Swallows player.

While the final was played, another friendly match took place on the adjacent field between United Brothers and Voota FC. Voota had a hard-earned 2-1 win.

The final was a thrilling encounter, with Red Eagles soaring to a 3-1 lead by halftime. But, the tide changed when Swallows scored a stunning goal from a cross-turned shot that saw their goalkeeper injure his wrist in his attempt to save the ball.

This reduced Red Eagles to 10 players as they did not have a substitute, and paved the way for Swallows to complete their comeback and then take a lead to secure a hard-fought-for 5-3 victory.

Red Eagles' Thembalethu Caleni looks to gather the ball while avoiding Swallows' Siyanda Mjoji. Photos: Blake Linder