UCT coach Rowan Hendricks was satisfied with the way his side finished the season in their drawn Cape derby with UWC on Monday.
Although they fell short of recording their first-ever victory in the tournament and could not avoid finishing last again, Hendricks was pleased with the fight they showed.
UCT drew first blood, and continued to keep the pressure on as the game played out. A 2-1 lead looked like the home side would get their first and only win of the tournament, but UWC struck back twice. A last-gasp goal from UCT’s Louis Roman-Sopp saw the game end in a stalemate, and allowed the Warriors to expose their fighting spirit.
“We could have had our first win of the tournament. It was ours to lose, because I think UWC didn’t expect us to be this strong or organized in attack and defence.” said Hendricks.
“I don’t normally say this, but we were in control of the match last night,” he went on. “With more time we could have snatched the victory as we ended the match with five strikers!”
Referring to the previous match against UJ, he explained that the team heeded his advice, and as such, learnt from their loss.
“My Ikey Warriors really played well. I told the boys ‘play as if this is your quarter final match.’ They did more than that; you could see it when we scored. We showed that we can take the lead, dominate and even come back from a goal down.”
“At the end of the match, seeing smiles on these players’ faces, knowing they gave their all makes me happy and even if I won’t be around these boys have set a standard now that they should maintain and grow upon.\,” he added.
Taking account of a disappointing season he detailed the difficulties involved in building a new team, but his joy in finding players that can carry on where they left off for years to come.
“Experience and composure will come, so will the confidence and all other aspects of football. We must be cleverer and tactically disciplined.
“We’ve ticked some boxes this Varsity Football tournament, and will continue to do so. Our motto was “optimistic risk” and I’m happy to say that we ended the tournament ticking that box,” he said.
By Megan Kinnaird
