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The Citizen

Northerns reserves crush Kempton Park

Benoni Northerns Football Club (BNFC) reserves delivered a ruthless attacking masterclass to crush Kempton Park 8-0 on August 2 to book their spot in the semis of the Eastern Super League reserves cup. The dominant performance left no doubt about their title ambitions, as Northerns dismantled their opponents with clinical finishing, slick passing and relentless pressure from the start to the final whistle. Midfield dynamo Tshepo Dimpe capped an incredible afternoon with a hat-trick while diminutive winger, Anesu Nkabinde, led the way on the Manny Fereirrinho main field with an early brace to put the hosts in a commanding position. From early in the game, Kempton Park struggled to deal with Northerns' pace and high tempo and time and again, their back four was found napping, while Dimpe, Ernest Mlakalaka, Nkabinde and Thato Molapo dictated matters up front. Northerns scored five unanswered goals in the first half and added three more in the second stanza to move a step closer to the final. Nkabinde put the hosts ahead in the fifth minute before tapping in a cross from the right to double his team's advantage three minutes later. Any plans of a comeback from Kempton were thwarted in the 19th minute when Dimpe added Northerns' third, and it got worse as Molapo made it four a minute later. Mlakalaka added his name to the scoresheet when he found the back of the net with a clever backheel inside the area in the 34th minute, sending the home side into the break with a commanding 5-0 lead. Dimpe scored his second of the day and his team's sixth a minute into the second half before grabbing his hat-trick in the 53rd minute with a clever shot on the edge of the box. Found unmarked on the left, the midfielder showed great composure, pausing with the ball before noticing the keeper had committed to the near post. With a subtle body feint, he curled a precise shot into the far corner. Northerns keeper, Hector Makhanya, who earlier saved a penalty, sealed the match from the spot. Meanwhile, the Northerns senior team may not have lit up the pitch in the late game, but their gritty 1-0 victory over Bedfordview was enough to secure their spot in the semi-finals of the seniors' cup, proving that sometimes, winning ugly still gets the job done. Nothing separated the two sides at the break after a lacklustre first half. The game came to life in the second half when Nyakallo Mokoena put Northerns ahead, pouncing on a loose ball after a goalmouth scramble. Despite Bedfordview's late surge, the game ended 1-0 as Northerns advanced to the semis. Also Read: Local footballers to compete in Sweden Also Read: Soccer project to help youngsters build careers in football