Ubuntu prove that NFD teams are no pushovers

Imust say I was impressed with how organised Ubuntu Cape Town were and how they performed in their run in the Nedbank Cup, which has unfortunately ended. It made me realise there is little difference between the NFD and Absa Premiership teams.

If Ubuntu played with the same attitude in the NFD that they have been showing in the cup, they would not be where they are – languishing in the relegation zone.

They actually played really well against all the Premiership sides they came up against and it was just the result that went against them at the weekend. If all teams in the NFD could bring such performances to each game, our football would benefit greatly.

There is however the little matter of financial difficulties that teams in the NFD have to contend with on a daily basis as they don’t have the resources. If they were to get a little more financial support, their level of professionalism would improve.

Just look at it this way. A Premiership team is guaranteed a full technical team who are all full-time on the job and the coach is not overloaded. At some NFD clubs the coach has to do some administration work as well as manage injuries.

Players in the NFD can be anxious because they are not sure if they will be getting their full wages at the end of the month. If all this were to be eliminated, we would really see an improvement which would translate well into the Premiership because they will feed players who are already full professionals to the top-flight clubs. Most players in the NFD today play to impress Premiership scouts hoping to land decent contracts.

I can’t leave without talking about the Premiership title runin where I think it is going to be stuff that keeps us on the edge of our seats.

It’s going to be very interesting. Without underestimating Maritzburg and looking at the number of games left, I think it is now more realistically a two horse race between Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates. It is, however, more crucial for Pirates to win their next game. Anxiety might be their downfall.

They have a challenge in that Bloemfontein Celtic have suffered a setback in the Nedbank Cup and will be looking to redeem themselves, but with Pirates at home they should manage to get the result.

Sundowns will be playing Chippa in their next game. They have home advantage and I would ideally say with the experience

Sundowns have they should easily win. But Chippa have always given them problems and this will make them anxious and adding to that is that Pirates are on their heels.

I think the winner of this race will depend on how these teams manage the mindset and psychology of the players in the last games. Whoever gets that right will win it.

There are also Maritzburg United who are the dark horses in this race. They are enjoying a good run and have no pressure. If they happen to win it, then what a a major achievement that will be. But if they fall off, no one will be too upset with them. They have a few difficult matches coming up and if they manage to get positive results, they might just surprise us all.