Photo: Mike One Stars' Given Ngobeni (left) crosses the ball.


Mike One Stars collects maximum points

By Tebogo Senosha

Mike One Stars kept their hopes of topping the SAB Tshwane Regional League (Castle) alive after routing Invaders Fc 3-2 at Philip Stadium recently.

The match started on a high note with both teams showing hunger for the three points. Invaders Fc wasted no time in opening the scoring in the 13^th minutes through the youngster Thato “Stiga” Magongwa who made no mistake in firing Invaders Fc into the early lead.

Invaders Fc who came into the match having lost 4-0 to Future Masters Fc looked menacing in attack and Mike One Stars keeper was the busiest of the two.

Invaders Fc could have doubled their lead in the 30^th minutes through Thato Magongwa who fired his shot over the bar.

Things took a nasty turn for Mike One Stars in the 40^th minutes when Invaders Fc’s striker Bheki Mhlongo was left unmarked outside the box and unleashed a rocket which caught Mike One’s keeper Mosima Thabo way out of his line to make it 2-0 in favor of Invaders Fc.

Mike One Stars pulled one back with two minutes left before half time through Given Ngobeni who slotted home from close range after some unconvincing defending by Invaders Fc defence.

The match went into the half time break with Invaders Fc leading by 2 goals to 1.

The second stanza started off with fast pace, with Mike One Stars playing competitive attacking football. 

Mike One Stars’ dominant ball possession over Invaders Fc saw them scoring in the 67^th minutes through Stephan Monyela’s header from Given Ngobeni’s brilliant cross to level matters.

Invaders Fc were forced to sit back and defend while Mike One Stars continued with their endless wave of attacks in search of a winning goal.

Mike One Stars’ tireless efforts to grab the winning goal finally paid off in the 83^rd minutes through Given Ngobeni who completed his brace to give Mike One Stars a 3-2 lead over Invaders Fc.

With time running out, Invaders Fc tried to play long balls into the box in search of their big striker Bheki Mhlongo but Mike One Stars’ defense was equal to the task.

Invaders Fc failed to convert their last-minute chances into goals as Mike One Stars’ shot stopper Mosima Thabo made some brilliant saves to ensure that his team collects maximum points.

The match ended with Mike One Stars beating Invaders Fc 3-2.

The ecstatic Mike One Stars coach, Thomas Modingwane had nothing but praise for his boys for coming back from two goals down to winning the match.

“Dedication, confidence and individual brilliance helped us to bounce back to win this match. I am really proud of my boys today,” said Modingwane.

Invaders Fc coach Sammy Mojapelo said that he is satisfied with his team’s performance despite losing the match.

“I think my players played well today despite conceding three silly goals. We want to get out of the relegation zone,” said Mojapelo; adding that, “We also need to sign few players to strengthen our team to be more competitive”.

Invaders Fc’s loss was their second in a row and will look to turn their fortunes around when they go away to Barcelona Fc on Saturday at Trouw Street Stadium at 3pm, while Mike One Stars’ win takes them into top five position on the log, with Ga-Rankuwa United being their next opponents on Sunday at 3pm at Giant stadium.