PARK UNITED GRAB EASTER TITLE:
Goal by captain Daniels puts young side on top in prestigious tournament
ASINGLE goal was enough for a young Park United side as they were crowned champions of the SPAR NAFA Easter Soccer festival yesterday. Having lost to Sibanye FC in last year’s final, United overcame a resilient Bloom Callies 1-0 to spark wild celebrations from the army of supporters gathered around field one at the Gelvan Grounds.
Having made it through the group stages relatively unscathed, both teams fought hard in their quarterfinal fixtures.
United beat Celtic, who also played each other earlier in the group stages, by 1-0, while Callies overcame Ramblers 2-1 in a tough battle.
In the semifinals, Callies took on Stardrift in a tight match which went Callies way by 1-0.
United took on defending champions Sibanye and dumped them out of the tournament by 2-1.
In a cagey opening to the first half of the final , both teams battled hard, making a number of plays, with no real threat to the opponent’s goal.
All that changed as United captain Imraan Daniels rounded off a quick move resulting in the goal which put United ahead inside the first 20 minutes of the match.
Despite crafting a few chances themselves, Callies were unable to break down the stubborn United defence.
In the second half, Callies had a chance to draw level but the determined United goalkeeper, Leroy Goliath, dived through a crowd of players to claim the ball, and keep one hand on the trophy.
As the final whistle beckoned, Callies kept the pressure on the United backline, and a swift breakaway almost resulted in the leveller, only for the defence again to come to United’s rescue.
“I am so proud of my boys and what they have achieved, after losing players last year, and having to rebuild the squad, it was not easy, but we showed that we have what it takes to beat whoever is put in front of us,” United head coach Angelo Vos said.
Captain Daniels said: “It was a hard tournament, we have a good mix of youth and experience, and we showed our class today.”
NAFA president Clive Killian said the tournament was a great success with the quality of the football much improved over the last few years.
All junior players received a soccer ball from La Liga, while all junior winners received a hamper. All junior clubs not involved in the tournament received a set of soccer balls to aid in development. All NAFA leagues resume this weekend. Other final results: Under 20: West Lake 2 Saints 0 Under 18: Apex 0 (4) Fairview Rovers 0 (5) Under 16: Ramblers 1 (3) Apex 1 (4) Under 14: Park United 0 (1) Blackpool 0 (3) Under 12: Fairview Rovers 1 Hotspurs 2 Under 10: Rangers 0 Fairview 1