No complacency in Banyana camp
ELLIS: WE WON’T TAKE ANYTHING FOR GRANTED
Coach aims to make it onto the plane for France.
Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis says even though they have beaten Lesotho before, it will be a totally different ball-game when they meet in an Women’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at the Setsoto Stadium in Maseru on June 6.
Ellis and her charges are ultimately aiming for their first World Cup qualification for the 2019 tournament in France, but first they need to make it to the women’s Afcon in Ghana in November.
The top three sides at the women’s Afcon will make it to the World Cup.
“This is the start of the road to the World Cup. We have played Lesotho before and even though we beat them, this is a new game and a different occasion.
“Victory will get us to the 2018 Afcon in Ghana, but we are all aware that no game is as easy ... we have to be on top of our game to get a positive result in the first leg.
“We need to start on a good footing so we can finish the business at home,” the Banyana coach was quoted as saying on the Safa website.
The Banyana coach has a couple of new faces in her squad, having not called up US-based players Janine van Wyk, Thembi Kgatlana and Linda Motlhalo. Ellis has called Karabo Dhlamini, Khanya Xesi as well as Hilda Magaia. The three players make up part of the young crop of players in the squad and Ellis reckons it is good for the squad to have a mix of youth and experienced players.
“We have blended the squad with a bit of youth and experience. We were fortunate to attend a USSA Selection trials in Cape Town recently, and also watched all the Sasol teams in Gauteng on Saturday May 19 and also had national selection trials the next day.
“We are also allowing the overseas-based players to settle in at their clubs and this gives us an opportunity to have other players raise their hands.”
Ellis and her team will assemble for camp on Friday in Johannesburg and will head to Bloemfontein where they will have their training camp and will then travel to Lesotho on Sunday.