Greyton Roses FC news: Superb Roses pick up first win despite late penalty scare

A second-half strike from stand-in skipper Francisco Kandiado was the difference as 10-man Greyton Roses celebrated their first win of the season away to the Spain Football Academy on Sunday.

After a tough run of three losses to open the campaign, Greyton finally have points on the board and can now start building some momentum.

Here, Sports News Blitz looks at the key takeaways from the game at the weekend.

Both sides struggle in difficult conditions

Kandiado came close to open the scoring early on but was just unable to reach a drilled cross from the left-hand side by striker Fabian Steyn.

Steyn then could not keep his seventh-minute shot on target after a neat lay-off from midfielder Thabiso Mangana, who himself was unable to beat Spain stopper Jason Hebbe when the ball dropped to him inside a busy 18-yard area a short while later.

Greyton were subsequently dealt a blow when centre-back Alfred Kinkadi had to be replaced after 15 minutes with a dislocated shoulder.

The gale-force conditions certainly didn't help proceedings and, as a result, much of the first half played out in one corner of the field.

Roses come alive in the second half

The best chance of the game so far fell to Steyn just after the break as he raced through on goal with only the goalkeeper to beat, but he fired straight at the onrushing stopper.

Kandiado, however, went one better after picking up a clever reverse pass from recent signing Luxolo Nxadi by calmly slotting home from inside the box with 30 minutes of the match remaining.

The goalscorer had taken up the armband in the dual absence of injured captain Sherwin Latier and on-duty South African Police Service vice-captain Sanele Shabane.

In the end, the closest the hosts came to scoring in open play was from a looping free-kick that drifted in the wind and nearly snuck in at the back post before Roses goalkeeper Sandile Jantjies got the slightest of touches on the ball.

Dramatic end to the game

Despite a much-improved performance overall, it still so very nearly ended in tears for Greyton after going down to ten men in the first half before conceding a penalty near the end of regulation time.

Mangana was dismissed with 40 minutes on the clock after picking up two yellow cards in the space of a few minutes before late substitute James Villet was adjudged to have handled in the box at a corner mere minutes after his introduction.

Erik Nkosi stepped up to the spot with only seconds of the game to play but, to the Roses’ relief, could only manage to steer his penalty wide of the left-hand post.

Ultimately, three points was always the target for the travelling team against a side that had started their season with three defeats and 11 goals conceded.

The result leaves the Greyton side in eighth place on the 11-team Central Stream standings, with three points from four games, and Spain in last place without a point.

Next up for the Roses is a home clash with second-placed Matatiele, who have four wins from their opening four games.

Greyton Roses are an amateur team playing in the Overberg Region of the Western Cape, South Africa, and are sponsored by Sports News Blitz.

To help sponsor the team, please get in touch with the club through their Facebook page or contact them at greytonroses@gmail.com