Luntu to keep his powder dry for tie
BIRMINGHAM City leading goalscorer Luntu Bhobhojane is aware that if the Duncan Village outfit is to gain promotion to the ABC Motsepe League, he will have to have his scoring boots on in Alice today.
City, the Buffalo City Metro SAB regional league champions will get their SAB provincial playoffs under way against Bizana Pondo Chiefs at the University of Fort Hare.
Bhobhojane rattled the net an impressive 23 times as City convincingly won the Buffalo City Metro league with games to spare.
Speaking to the Dispatch this week, the striker said they were mature and ready for the playoffs.
“The players know what is expected from them and they will do everything in their power to claim victory.
“We have been working hard preparing for this since day one,” he said.
“We are ready for anything that comes our way and the teams we are playing over the weekend should expect a tough time because we won’t crack easily.”
City chairman Vusi Khumalo said they had respect for Chiefs and warned them not to take his team lightly.
“I respect them as the winners of their Safa region and hope they will do the same and not underestimate us as we are not pushovers. We are out to compete to reach our goal of being promoted,” he said.
He said he was aware that they were drawn in what can be termed the “group of death” but they were not afraid. “I’ve always believed to be the best, you must face a challenge and beat the best and I believe we would have not got an easy draw as we are all the champions of our respective Safa regions,” he said.
He said with Svuyile Hlekani at the helm from the beginning of the season they are confident of a positive result.
“He is a knowledgeable individual when it comes to football and a good planner. He has a good strategic approach when doing things.
“He is a well-travelled coach who worked with teams like OR Tambo Cosmos, FC Buffalo, Future Tigers and we have a clean healthy team ready to compete,” he said.
He added that getting a promotion will mean a lot not only from the management and players but to the entire Duncan Village area.
Safa provincial secretary Isaac Klaas has said it was all systems go for the two-day spectacle as all the regional winners vie for the two available ABC Motsepe League spots.