New soccer kings of Eden
Knysna's Red Eagles FC proved their mettle once again as they managed to win the President's Cup on Sunday 25 August, defeating some of the best clubs in the Eden District in the process.
The President's Cup is an annual preseason tournament which plays host to the top four teams from each of the six local football association (LFA) leagues in Eden – Kannaland, Hessequa, Mossel Bay, George, Oudtshoorn, Bitou, and Knysna – in a bid to determine the best club in the region. Knysna LFA (KLFA) was represented by league winners Young Boys, runners-up Smuts United, third-placed Flamingo FC, and fourth-placed Red Eagles.
This year the tournament was held in Knysna and teams were split into eight groups of three each, from which the top two teams would progress to the Round of 16, where the winners of the eight matches would subsequently progress to the quarterfinals. Of the four Knysna sides taking part in the President's Cup, only Red Eagles and Flamingo remained in the competition heading into the quarters.
It remained that way as the two sides also made it through to the semifinals, where they would face off in a game that needed the final kick of the match to determine who would make the final. Red Eagles and Flamingo had matched each other throughout the game, but with the final kick of the semifinal, Red Eagles managed to grab a stunning late winner to face Mossel Bay's Green Aces in the final at Loerie Park.
Both teams were undoubtedly running on fumes in the final, as they were playing their third game of the day after the quarter and semifinals earlier in the day. Despite this, both sides played a very positive and attractive brand of football that provided a fluid ebb and flow to the game.
Red Eagles would come closest to breaking the deadlock, hitting the crossbar directly from a corner, but they eventually managed to do one better when they took a 1-0 halfway through the first half. Green Aces quickly levelled proceedings again at 1-1 with a goal of their own, as the final went into halftime with the same scoreline.
The second half would be a tense affair, as both teams' fatigue began to show – especially in the latter stages of the game. Red Eagles would manage to clinch the title however, thanks to the second half's only goal, which saw them emerge 2-1 victors to be crowned the kings of the Eden District.