ALL TO PLAY FOR
Executive Ladies in national champs action
Executive Ladies will have the upper hand when they face JVW FC in the group stages of the 2019 edition of the Sasol League National Soccer Championship at the Tsakane Stadium in Ekurhuleni on Tuesday.
Kick-off is scheduled for
3.30pm.
That is according to Executive chair Mawethu Nama, who said they expected a tough encounter against the Johannesburg-based side owned by Banyana Banyana captain Janine van Wyk.
Nama said they were certain of getting an opening win in the tournament set to conclude on December 8.
“It won’t be easy but we are going to beat them. We are a closed book to them. And that will help us gain advantage over them,” said Nama.
“We know almost all their strong points — how good their players are, and they don’t have any idea how my team operates. I know they’ve got a very good midfielder on their side like Nompumelelo Nyandeni.
“I’m sure they will field her to give us problems in the middle of the park. But we’ve seen the way she plays and our technical team has a good plan for people like her,” said Nama.
He said going into the game as underdogs would work to their advantage.
“JVW is a well-known team and to most of their fans they have already won the tournament but we are going to prove that’s not the case.
“We’ve got the best players in the province, the likes of Sineziwe Sosibo, who will be in the poles for us. She’s a tough cookie to crack and I believe she will be able to keep a clean sheet.
“Nokuphiwo Mdenge also had a good season, and she’s with the team and we are hoping she’ll continue to fight for us alongside Nqobile Gantsa and our defender Asavela Dleliweni.
“We are pinning our hopes on the entire team to beat JVW so that we can move on in the competition to play the finals.”
Executive Ladies’ long-serving midfielder Babongile Mbadu, 23, said she had waited a long time to play in a tournament of this magnitude.
“I’ve been at the club for more than five years now and it’s been our dream to win a big tournament, and that dream is going to be realised soon. But we have to get rid of JVW and move on to the next stage,” she said.
“We had good preparation for this tournament and we are ready. No-one is nervous or anything like that,” said Mbadu.
The winner of the competition will walk away with R200,000, with the runners-up pocketing R100,000.
The two teams will also be guaranteed a spot in the new Safa Women’s National League to bring the teams from 12 to 14 next season.