Young 'Birds' finish third in tourney

Added:Mon, 14 Jul 2008 10:39

Moroka Swallows Under-17 team finished third in the Engen Knockout Challenge after beating Mamelodi Sundowns 5-3 on penalties in the Third and Fourth Play-offs on Sunday.

The young 'Beautiful Birds' started the competition on a high note by beating Group C favourites School of Excellence 1-0 in the group stages.

They then drew 0-0 with University of Pretoria before handing Africa Sport Youth Academy (A.S.Y.A) a 2-0 drubbing to finish on top of Group C.

Swallows were then pitted against Soweto Select XI in the quarter-finals and they won the game 1-0.

That victory set them up to face eventual winners SuperSport United in the semi-finals, where they narrowly lost 4-5 in a penalty shoot-out.

"The boys did well in this competition and we are really proud of them," Swallows' Paul Habib told the club's official website.

He added: "Remember that, unlike many teams, we don't have a fully-fledged academy and for them to go through the tournament unbeaten in regular time, it's a major achievement indeed."

"It's a major improvement considering that we finished fourth in the Nike Premier Cup."

Habib said that the 'Birds' could not wait for the upcoming SuperSport tournament.

"We intend to win this one or at least finish second," concluded Habib.