Wings United out of Nedbank Cup but not down
Wings out, but not down
Posted: 2010-04-19 10:57
A 5-0 hammering at the hands of Ajax Cape Town was not enough to dampen the spirits of Wings United as they prepared for the long drive back to Upington after their Nedbank Cup defeat.
For the Northern Cape Vodacom Second Division team it was all about the occasion.
The club brought a small but extremely enthusiastic group of their supporters down for the game, who for the most part outdid the Ajax fans in terms of the vibe they created on the stands at the Boland Rugby Stadium in Wellington on Sunday afternoon.
Wings managed to keep the Urban Warriors off the score-sheet for 40 minutes, but once Sameehg Doutie had broken the deadlock for the Cape side, Ajax were in cruise control as they added a further four goals.
For Wings United though, it was far from a wasted trip – thanks to the exciting format of the Nedbank Cup, teams from the lower reaches of the soccer ladder are at least given a taste of the big time.
Playing against a professional PSL club was an experience of a life-time and one which they hope will serve as future motivation for the side which missed out on winning the Second Division championship only on goal difference.
"We learnt a lot from the game and it was a great experience. It was not so tough as we expected. We may have lost 5-0, but maybe if we had better facilities the gap between the two sides would be smaller," Wings' skipper Neville Botha told KickOff.com after the game.
His team-mate, Vincent Hinana, who came on as a second half substitute, also believes Wings benefited from the experience.
"We were disappointed with the result of course, but we learnt a lot from the way Ajax play. Our mistake was that we did not close them down quickly enough.
"I was happy though just to have had the chance to play against a top side. And it was great to have had our supporters with us – their backing gave us motivation and power," he said.
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