Lavender Hill Football Club secured the top spot in the South Peninsula Football Association 2022 league the old-fashioned way: by scoring as many goals as possible.

 Take it from Lavender Hill Football Club, the importance of scoring as many goals as possible in a league football match cannot be overstated.

The South Peninsula Football Association 2022 league champions finished the league with the same points (63), wins (20), draws (3) and loses (1) with second-placed Wanders XI, but clinched the title thanks to their superior goal-difference of plus 116 to Wanderers’ 91.

 Lavender Hill beat their rivals Wanderers 1-0 last weekend to win the championship. But head coach Brent Raven believes it all boils down to the style of football each team decides to employ. 

“Lavender Hill has always been an offensive-based team,” he says. “Attacking is like defending because if you attack more with the ball you don’t need to defend, as the opponents must come back and defend you.” 

Of course, luck played a role as well – players are only human, after all, and they can make mistakes.: “In one game we had twenty chances – but we ended up winning by only one goal.” 

That’s why it’s important to play the numbers.

“There is only one ball on the field and if we are attacking with that ball there is no need to defend,” Raven notes. “That is why we score more goals. It is because of our offensive system.”

 It helps when everybody comes together as a real team, though.

“We prepared to win, played for the badge and supported each other when times were tough,” notes team manager Hilton Ludick. “Brotherhood comes through on and off the field. The coaches and players are all on the same page and wanted to win this for the community.”

But Ludick gives credit to Wanderers for giving them a good run for their money. 

“We played an equally worthy team in Wanderers XI  AFC – and at the end of it all it came down to who wanted to bring the cup home to the community more,” he says.

 And for the team, the community is what really matters.

“The men come from struggling backgrounds and their love for soccer in essence is the escape from their realities. We are challenged with facilities and logistics restricting training, and the ongoing gang wars compounded our problems,” Ludick remarks.  

“This victory gives hope that we will rise above our circumstances. And it gives hope  to our youth and fosters healthy ways through sport.”

Edited by Nicklaus Kruger