James Keene of Bidvest Wits scores a penalty and celebrates during the Absa Premiership 2017/18 match between Bidvest Wits and Bloemfontein Celtic at Bidvest Stadium, Johannesburg South Africa on 19 January 2018 ©Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix
by
Austin Ditlhobolo
Friday Jan 19, 2018. 22:09
Bidvest Wits beat 10-man Bloemfontein Celtic 1-0 in an Absa Premiership match at the Bidvest Stadium on Friday night.
The win takes Clever Boys to 13th place on the league table, while Phunya Sele Sele remain ninth on the log.
The Clever Boys were the better side in the early stages of the game with James Keene looking lively upfront for the hosts.
Wits were awarded a penalty in the 30th minute after Mpho Maruping deliberately handled the ball in the Celtic box and the player was sent off.
English striker Keene converted the penalty to make it 1-0 to Wits much to the delight of the Clever Boys fans inside the stadium.
Celtic goalkeeper Patrick Tignyemb had to be alert in the 42nd minute and he gathered Wits defender Thulani Hlatshwayo's goal bound throw in.
Phunya Sele were under pressure with the half-time break fast approaching on a chilly night in Johannesburg.
But they managed to contain the home side until the match referee blew the half-time whistle and the score was 1-0 to Wits at the interval.
The Cleve Boys continued their dominance in the early stages of the second-half as 10-man Celtic struggled to contain them.
Tignyemb denied Wits attacking midfielder Vincent Pule just after the hour-mark as the hosts pressed the visitors.
However, as the second-half progressed, Celtic began attacking in numbers and Vusi Shikweni forced Wits keeper Darren Keet into a good save.
Celtic attackers Menzi Masuku and Deon Hotto were also denied by Keet in the closing stages of the game.
Wits were able to hold on to their slender lead and ultimately, they recorded a 1-0 win over Celtic.
Wits (1) 1 (Keene 31')
Celtic (0) 0
Wits XI: Keet, Hlatshwayo, Khumalo, Pule (Klate 70'), Hlanti, Claasen, Mkhwanazi, Myeni (Pelembe 62'), Gyimah, Keene (Monare 61'), Majoro.
Celtic XI: Tignyemb, Pfumbidzai, Rikhotso, Ndengane, Gordinho, Baloyi, Maruping, Hotto, Mashikinya (Mabena 49'), Phalane (Shikweni 75'), Mabasa (Masuku 49').
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