Fort Hare have given themselves an excellent chance of advancing to the main draw of the prestigious Nedbank Cup.
The boys toppled Blackpool and Stutterheim’s Cheap Town Callies in the Amathole regional playoffs on Saturday and Sunday to book their spot in this weekend’s provincial knockout competition in Jeffreys Bay.
There they will face the Eastern Cape’s other district winners and, should they see off all comers in South Africa’s surfing mecca, they will get a crack at an ABC Motsepe League side to determine who will go through to the tournament’s main draw.
The Nedbank Cup comprises 16 Premier League clubs, eight national First Division clubs and eight from the SA Football Association’s regional leagues.
Fort Hare last reached this phase just short of a decade ago but were unable to advance on that occasion.
The Class of 2024, however, believe they have all the answers to make amends and put their name among those who will compete in the country’s equivalent to England’s FA Cup.
Fort Hare reached the regionals after demolishing the Seymour Young Chiefs 5-1 in the Raymond Mhlaba district stream.
They then held their nerve to beat Blackpool 3-2 in a tense penalty shootout after the teams played to a goalless draw. Then they defeated Callies 1-0.
Coach Mongile Nyosana warned there were no second chances in the Nedbank Cup as it was “knockout football all the way” and that their opponents in J-Bay could not be taken lightly to boot.
Fort Hare shot-stopper Lihle Vathu has become a wall in goal and will be a key player at this weekend’s Nedbank Cup provincial playoffs. Photo: Full Stop Communications
The likes of Bizana Pondo Chiefs, Buffalo City’s Napoli and great rivals Walter Sisulu are among the other contenders for a shot at toppling an ABC Motsepe League incumbent.
The draw takes place tomorrow (Friday), so Fort Hare’s first opponents will remain a mystery until then.
It is a blessing in disguise as it forces Nyosana’s team to focus on their own game in the build-up. However, it helps that they have played WSU recently and have a fair idea of the kind of football Napoli will bring to the pitch.
The coach said they focused on preparing for the big moments, which can make or break a team in knockout football, this week.
Fort Hare’s Varsity Cup campaign did not go to plan earlier this year, despite a promising start.
But there was more than enough evidence that Nyosana had assembled a group of good young prospects – half a dozen of whom were born as recently as 2006.
Although falling short at the Varsity Cup, the advantage is that they know each other’s games inside and out by now.
The Fort Hare mentor pointed out that no champion football team have ever been built in a day but that they were well on their way as the time spent on the training ground were starting to pay off.
“We are growing bit by bit by bit.”
While Nyosana’s immediate focus was on the weekend, he knew that the playoffs would stand his charges in good stead for the University Sports SA tournament in December.
If they play to their full potential there, they may very well find themselves returning to tertiary football’s elite competition next year.
“Our wish is to play Varsity Football again,” Nyosana confirmed.