Celtic training in Bloemfontein ahead of final
BLOEMFONTEIN Celtic are planning to keep to their usual routine and will continue working at home this week ahead of their cup final trip to Durban‚ officials said yesterday.
The club will only be travelling to Durban on Friday and have a single training session at the match venue before they take on Bidvest Wits in the Telkom TKO final at the Princess Magogo Stadium on Saturday night (kickoff 6pm).
Celtic lost on Sunday at home to Orlando Pirates in a far from ideal build-up for the final in a match that showed little imagination and saw few efforts on goal.
The players looked more focused on the weekend ahead and were keen to stay out of trouble.
Key defender Alfred Ndengane should have been handed a red card for two bookable offences but after picking up his first yellow‚ he was let off by referee Kulusande Qongqo and so is able to play on Saturday.
Wandisile Letlabika sat out the game because he was on three yellow cards already for the season, and coach Vesselin Jelusic did not want to risk him getting a fourth and then being suspended for the final.
He will be in the defence on Saturday along with Zimbabwe international Ronald Pfumbidzai‚ who did not play against Pirates as he served a one-match ban.
ý Cavin Johnson admitted that it was time to blood new strikers at AmaZulu, having opted to rest veteran forward Siyabonga Nomvethe.
Nomvethe‚ who turns 40 on Saturday‚ has not featured for the side in a month since the 3-0 loss to Kaizer Chiefs in the Telkom Knockout first round.
Johnson said it was about bringing through fresh legs to take over from the former Bafana Bafana striker‚ although he believes he still does have a mentoring role to play at the club.
“It is about looking after him‚ but he is also long in the tooth and it is time that the younger guys took over‚” Johnson said.
“He still has a role to play among the younger players within the team.
“If I took Bhele [Nomvethe] and Mabhuti [Khenyeza] out of the team, then my average age is 20.”
That last point is an exaggeration‚ with 29-year-old Rhulani Manzini and 30-year-old Mhlengi Cele the two starting strikers in the 2-2 draw with Ajax Cape Town on Saturday‚ but Johnson’s point is made.
It is likely then that we are seeing the end of an illustrious top-flight career for Nomvethe‚ who has a single goal this campaign‚ netted in the surprise 2-1 away win over Mamelodi Sundowns last month. – Additional reporting by Nick Said