Six from province make Ke Yona squad

Six young Eastern Cape soccer players have been afforded the opportunity to mix it with the best by being selected for the Nedbank Ke Yona final soccer squad.

The battle lines have been drawn at the Makhulong Stadium in Tembisa as the Ke Yona Team are put through their final paces ahead of the crunch clash with defending Nedbank Cup champions Free State Stars

The contingent from the Eastern Cape is the largest in the history of the talent search tournament

on Sunday. The contingent from the Eastern Cape is the largest in the history of the talent search tournament and the squad will be looking to rewrite the competition histo- ry books as they go in search of that elusive first win in the one-off match.

Xolela Bonxa (Mthatha), Camagu Kanana (Dimbaza), Axolile Kapo (PE), Asivile Tom (Mdantsane), Buyelekhaya Velelwandle (Mthatha) and Mzikayise Williams (PE) were named as part of the final 16man team.

Tom, a centre-forward, said: “I’m very excited, we will try to represent the province with pride.”

Kapo, a central midfielder, said the selection of six players for the Nedbank Ke Yona Team showed there was plenty of talent in the Eastern Cape.

Team selectors Khabo Zondo and Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba, along with their technical staff, have been hard at work, preparing the group physically, mentally and tactically for the showdown with a seasoned Ea Lla Koto side.

“Our biggest concern has always been players’ fitness and this is an aspect that we constantly had to work on as the Ke YonaTeam will need to last a full 90 minutes and match the pace of their senior counterparts – a first-time experience for most of the players,” Zondo said at Monday’s matchreadiness media conference.