The blue train picks up another title
BUFFALO FLATS-based Riverside Football club added another trophy to their impressive haul of silverware when they captured the Mark Alexander sponsored East London Central Premier Top Eight title for the third consecutive season on Sunday at the North End Stadium.
This saw them beating premier league champions Swaraj 2-0 in the cup final.
A huge crowd witnessed the opening weekend of this year’s East London Central football season at the North End Stadium, which kicked off on Friday evening when Brothers of Peace caused a huge upset by beating 2013 Premier Top Eight champions Star of India 3-2 in the first round.
Seagulls secured their place in the semifinals after recording a hard-fought 3-2 win against Conquerors, while the defending champions, Riverside breezed into the last four after an emphatic 5-1 win against Atlantic Spurs on Saturday.
Swaraj sealed their semi-final place after earning a 3-1 win against Pride of India.
Swaraj ended Brothers of Peace’s fairytale run on Sunday by crushing them 4-0, and in an eight-goal thriller, Riverside saw off Seagulls by a 5-3 score line.
The scene was then set for an intriguing cup final between arguably the top two sides at North End in a repeat of last year’s premier league title decider, which saw Swaraj lift the trophy after collecting the point they required in a hard-fought goalless stalemate.
The blue train, as Riverside is fondly known, had revenge on their mind and were out of their starting blocks in a flash as they had Swaraj on the back foot for most of the first half.
Their incessant pressure was rewarded when Sheldon Stevens landed a superb square from the right, which found Rynaldo Benny at the far post unmarked.
Dominating possession with ease, Riverside struck again in the second half when the impressive Sheldon Stevens pounced on a loose ball inside the Swaraj penalty area and netted from close-in.
It was heartbreak for the Parkridgebased outfit as they suffered their fifth cup final defeat, while Riverside captured their 12th piece of East London Central silverware in five years. Riverside talisman Damian Botha was voted player of the tournament after a superb all-round performance throughout the event.
The John Korkie sponsored second edition 14-club First Division Promotional League commences on Wednesday evening when the Riverside U20s host the East London United U20s at 6.30pm and Leeds United entertain East London Central debutants Real Dukashe at 8pm.
On Friday evening, the other league debutantes, Alphen Warriors take on the Atlantic Spurs U20s at 6.30pm and Central United lock horns with the other newcomers, Imonti Christian Centre at 8pm.