{"id":60200,"date":"2014-05-20T09:15:00","date_gmt":"2014-05-20T07:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/60200\/rays-on-the-rise\/"},"modified":"2014-05-20T09:46:14","modified_gmt":"2014-05-20T07:46:14","slug":"rays-on-the-rise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/sports-news\/2014\/05\/20\/rays-on-the-rise\/","title":{"rendered":"Rays on the rise"},"content":{"rendered":"

Luso Africa Sports Grounds again hosted Germiston Rays FC in their SAB Castle League fixture against Boksburg’s Bolivia FC on Saturday.<\/p>\n

The spectators experienced great football as both teams showcased first class football.<\/p>

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Germiston Rays are currently fighting relegation and their previous game, against Sun United, saw them lose three points.<\/p>\n

“That loss I attribute to us conceding goals, and more so on our attack-on-attack formation for the game, however, we went back to the drawing board and the boys played much better,” said Germiston Rays coach Nhlanhla Dube.<\/p>

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The Rays showed that they are fighting relegation as they went straight into the game and left no room for analyses.<\/p>\n

Bolivia seemed to analyse Germiston’s style of play, which was evident in their touch-and-go approach in the first few minutes after kick-off.<\/p>\n

The touch-and-go was a disadvantage for the Boksburg team, because the Rays had ball possession and put more pressure on them with their fast pace.<\/p>\n

The pressure was not handled well by Bolivia, because it resulted in them playing more aggressively and pocketing a number of fouls.<\/p>\n

A penalty was awarded to the Rays as a result of Bolivia’s aggressive play, and it was a penalty well used by Germiston’s local team.<\/p>\n

The penalty goal rattled Bolivia even more, and their opponents played more confidently.<\/p>\n

What the local team failed to do was to put out a stronger defence line after their goal, as Bolivia bagged a fine goal just before the half-time whistle.<\/p>\n

“I think the boys were a bit excited about the goal, which is why we went into half-time with a draw,” said Nhlanhla.<\/p>\n

Both teams put their best feet forward, with the aim of pocketing more goals, to secure a lead and a win.<\/p>\n

Ball possession moved from Germiston’s control to an equal 50 per cent.<\/p>\n

At this point shots at target increased, with a few more close calls.<\/p>\n

As the spectators were enjoying more dribbling action, Germiston Rays landed one long shot goal.<\/p>\n

The goal motivated the Rays and, with the lesson learnt from the first half, they put out a robust defence line.<\/p>\n

The local team didn’t neglect attack, because, even with more attention to defence, they managed to extend their lead with another goal, securing a stronger lead.<\/p>\n

With a two-goal lead, the Rays managed to hold out to the last minute of the game.<\/p>\n

The scoreboard was at 3-1 in favour of Germiston Rays.<\/p>\n

“Going back to the drawing board worked out well for us, as we managed to pocket three points,” added Dube.<\/p>\n

“We are still fighting relegation, and I think if we manage to get six more points we will be out of the relegation scare.”<\/p>\n