Ostriches hope to advance to the group stage
The club is one one team away from the Group Stage
The suspension on local football, which has been out of the picture for over a year now, has not deterred Orapa United in its pursuit of continental glory.
The Ostriches are staring at the Group stages of the CAF Confederations Cup after a sterling performance in the preliminary round when they defeated Cameroon side, Mangasport 3- 2 on penalties, a few weeks ago.
In an interview this week, Orapa United mouthpiece, Amelton Gaefhele reiterated their optimism in the tournament.
“For us to get into the group stage, it will be a great milestone; we will definitely celebrate it because that would be the first time we get into the Group Stage but we take every game as it comes and we are hopeful and optimistic about our future in the tournament.” Moreover, he admitted that they should find approaches of sparking creativity and boosting team morale, in ways that optimise the team’s productivity in order to get goals and help the team stay connected and motivated. “From my view, although not technical, I think we need to improve and score goals because all the friendly games we have played, we didn’t convert chances; so it’s worrisome and we should be converting at least three goals.”
Although he said the team is still a work in progress since there hasn’t been active football for over 16 months. “It’s still work in progress but we need to improve, the morale is good, they are focused and optimistic; you can see in their body language that they are aware of the expectations and are willing to do better,” he said.
Gaefhele further added that the team is intact without any injuries and the technical team is working extra hard to bring forth the required results in a short period of time.
The likes of Tapiwa Nyamadziva, Omaatla Kebatho, Allen Ndodole, Thabang Mosige, Thero Setaile, Onkabetse Makgantai and Gofaone Mabaya will be very pivotal for the Ostriches in this tournament and going forward.
The Ostriches will lock horns with Cotton Sport in the next round on October 15 while the return leg will be on the 22 of the same month.