Schools target provincial cup finals

JUNIOR soccer action is on the cards next weekend with the Eastern Cape Danone Nations Cup provincial finals to be battled out at Laerskool Kuswag.

Seven schools from seven regions in the Eastern Cape will go head-tohead in their quest to become Eastern Cape champion and represent the province at the national finals.

The first qualifier for the Eastern Cape finals was named last week, when Ngubethole Junior Secondary School from Dutywa won in the Amathole district.

This is the second year running that Ngubethole has qualified as Amathole champs and are hoping they can take it a step further and win the finals.

Last year they were beaten in the provincial finals by Barkerville Junior Secondary School 2-1 to narrowly miss out on a place in the national finals.

Their coach, who is a maths and life orientation teacher at the school, Odwa Siguba, claimed they were at a disadvantage because they were a rural school that were not exposed to top-class soccer.

“We have to rely on TV, and read soccer books to gain knowledge,” Siguba said.

“There are not many schools in the area so we have to travel if we wish to attend a Safa coaching clinic.”

Siguba is, however, very confident about the provincial finals as most of last year’s players are still in the team and most of them played for local clubs.

“We have high hopes of winning the provincial title this year,” a confident Siguba said.

“Psychologically they must have the mental strength and determination that sets them apart from the others.

“They must possess the ability to perform under pressure, and to concentrate, focus and anticipate the opponent’s next move,” he added.

The Amathole regional finals were battled out at the Msobomvu ground in Butterworth, where four schools took part.

Ngubethole's first game was a tough one against a well-organised and strong Charles Morgan Primary School from King William’s Town, where despite missing a lot of chances, Ngubethole managed to score two minutes from full-time to win 1-0.

Their second game was against Langelitsha Mdantsane.

Ngubethole scored early but were frustrated by an excellent defence, before a communication breakdown in their own defence allowed Langelitsha to equalise late in the match to end the game 1-1.

Their final match was against a weaker Caley Junior Secondary School from Butterworth, emerging 2-0 victors.

This result meant they topped the log and qualified for the provincial finals.

The other six regions of the Eastern Cape, namely Sarah Baartman, OR Tambo, Alfred Nzo, Joe Gqabi, Nelson Mandela Metro and Chris Hani will be naming their regional winners over the coming wee.

A cracking provincial finals will then take place next week Saturday. Primary School from