Ellis wants continuity

Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis (above) is looking for continuity following the team’s Cosafa Cup success in Zimbabwe recently.

The senior national women’s team are in camp as they prepare for their first ever meeting with Burkina Faso in an international friendly at the Dobsonville Stadium on Sunday.

With a number of players having missed the Cosafa Cup, Ellis is glad to have most of her regulars back in the team ahead of the weekend’s game.

“We are fortunate to have the bulk of the players back in camp with some new ones who missed the tournament in Zimbabwe, so this will basically be a continuation of the work we have been doing as most of them understand our playing philosophy,” said Ellis.

Ahead of the clash, the Banyana coach adds they want to win the match and that she wants her players to be fresh for the game since most of them played last weekend.

Banyana captain Janine van Wyk, meanwhile, is happy to be back in the squad. The defender is now based in the United States, where she does duty for Houston Dash in the US national women’s soccer league.

“It feels great to back in the team. We are all raring to play on Sunday. This is our first meeting with Burkina Faso, that is one of the things that makes this game interesting,” said the skipper.

“We would also like to see fans coming to the stadium to support us.”