Nyadeni realigns her football goals

Nompumelelo Nyandeni (right) hasn’t let her omission from the Banyana Banyana side derail her career after being left out of the Banyana Fifa Women’s World Cup squad early this year. Instead, she has used it as a stepping stone to grow in football.

The experienced former midfielder, who plies her trade at JVW FC in the Sasol Women’s League has become better in the last year, which has seen her being converted to a striker – Nyandeni helped JVW win the Gauteng Sasol League by scoring a record 46 goals and being the league’s top scorer.

Nyandeni’s objective now is to help the side get promoted to the

National Women’s League by winning or being runners-up in the upcoming Sasol League National Championships, competed for by nine teams from around the country at Tsakane Stadium in Ekurhuleni from December 3 until December 7.

“We prepared very well this season that is why we are No 1 in Gauteng. Before we get to the National Women’s League we have to start at the play-offs and give our all,” said Nyandeni, who has previously played her football in Russia for WFC Rossiyanka.

“When you look at the Sasol League, the Gauteng stream is the one that is very difficult, so once you win it you can breathe. But having said that, we are not going to take things lightly at the playoffs, we will take each and every game as a cup final.”

At 32-years-old, Nyandeni has done pretty well and her club coach Ciara Picco believes she still has so much to give. The JVW coach hopes that Nyandeni makes it back to the national senior women’s team one of these days.