Young Punters Find Their Rhythm to Beat Cranborne Bullets

MWOS FC U19 produced a strong second-half response to beat Cranborne Bullets FC 3-1 at MWOS Ngoni Stadium after falling behind early in the second half.

The Young Punters created the clearer openings before the break, with Timmy Kushata forcing two saves from the Cranborne goalkeeper inside the opening five minutes.

Alex Matariro then came close to picking out Kushata with a cross into the box, while Cleopas Masumbuko saw a low effort from the right gathered by the goalkeeper.

Kushata continued to look for a way through, firing another effort from distance in the 22nd minute which went wide.

Blessing Mazambani also came close from a Kassim Abdulrahman free kick, heading over the bar as MWOS FC U19 continued to search for the breakthrough.

Neither side could find it before half-time, leaving the score level at 0-0.

Cranborne Bullets changed the picture shortly after the restart when they found the opening goal in the 53rd minute.

The response from the Young Punters came through two changes five minutes later, with Tanaka Maseko and Taylor Muza introduced as Coach Wonder Ngoko looked to alter the attacking options.

The pressure began to build as Mazambani and Maseko worked the flanks, giving MWOS FC U19 more presence in the attacking areas.

The equaliser finally arrived in the 76th minute when Kushata carried the ball down the left before sending it across for Maseko to finish and make it 1-1.

The Young Punters were not finished.

Five minutes later, Pardon Nyandoro replaced Walter Five as MWOS FC U19 continued to push for a second goal.

That goal came in the 85th minute through Maseko again, who reacted quickest after Matariro’s cross had gone beyond Kushata and the Cranborne goalkeeper had been beaten.

With MWOS FC U19 now in front, Muza added a third two minutes later after combining with Nyandoro inside the box before finding the back of the net.

Coach Wonder Ngoko said the match had demanded adjustments from his side, particularly after conceding first.

“The game was hard, but we came back for the second half and adjusted,” Ngoko said.

“We conceded first but we stuck to our game plan.”

Ngoko also explained the thinking behind his earlier assessment of the team’s progress, saying the season had been viewed in four halves.

“When we started we divided our games into four halves, now we are in the fourth half,” he said.

The coach believes the work done over the course of the season is beginning to show in the way his players combine with each other.

“We struggled first games, but things are improving and combinations are working out well,” Ngoko said.

For Ngoko, the most pleasing part of the afternoon was how quickly his players responded to the setback.

“I’m happy because the boys were able to respond quickly,” he said.

The 3-1 victory gave the Young Punters another example of their ability to stay within the game and make their chances count when the opportunities arrived.