Belchester Futsal Club gave an excellent account of themselves once again, as the Tongaat-based sporting organisation, took on the best in the province. With home advantage, the Belchester outfit had huge expectations based on their recent performances.
Starting very cautiously, the boys in blue took on last year’s finalist, Maritzburg Hotspurs. Based on the previous encounter, the local boys showed their determination to grind out a 3-1 scoreline win.
Belchester’s next encounter was the local derby against Tongaat Suburbs, where the team solidified their dominance in the tournament with great fitness and tactics to grab the three points with a 4-0 scoreline, moving them top of the group. Beaming with confidence, the Belchester lads’ third encounter was against tournament favourites, eThekwini City, the formidable Durban-based team, coached by national futsal coach, Chris Naidoo.
The opponents took an early lead forcing Belchester onto the backfoot. As the match progressed, Belchester found their rhythm and pulled a goal back before the break. The blue team was stunned with a goal midway in the second half after a lapse in concentration, forcing them to chase for an equaliser.
With seconds remaining, eThekwini City scored again to claim the points. In the final fixture of the group, Belchester took on Hugos FC from Pietermaritzburg, where they were too powerful, humiliating the visitors 5-0, setting up a semi-final clash with Maritzburg Hotspurs.
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Belchester’s head coach, Tovey Ramnarain, went into this knock fixture with extreme caution, knowing that the PMB-based team was in search of revenge, with clear instructions to keep the defensive shape and with both teams squandering many chances, the match went into extra time. The blues showed their reliance led by captain, Reagan Swartbooi, scoring twice in two minutes to set a mouth-watering clash with eThekwini City in the finals.
eThekwini City, with excellent futsal tactics and flair found themselves four goals ahead in a matter of minutes putting the team under pressure deep in their half. In the second half, the home team found their foot and clawed back into the game, pulling a goal back.
Unfortunately, they left it too late, handing over the championship to the Durban-based franchise, who showed class and experience. The management of Belchester FC gave full praise to its players and coaching staff- their hard work and efforts have ensured that Tongaat futsal is dominant in the province.
Team manager, Chrissy Pillay, said, “The boys showed great character and big heart for the team and game, featuring among the best in the province. Belchester FC is a force to reckon with, as we have a young squad, and we look forward to playing in the upcoming Provincial Futsal League which is due to kick off shortly.”
