Soccer Madibaz aim for top four
Coach Tommy working with several new players, and new skipper
NMMU’S Madibaz will be gunning for a top-four position in this year’s Varsity Football competition starting on July 20.
NMMU sport manager Mark Tommy said yesterday securing a semifinal spot was a must.
“Definitely, this year we need to get to the knockout a stage.
“A top-four finish is non-negotiable; that is our objective.
“Once we are in the top four, of course, the rest is about winning the tournament,” he said.
The Madibaz finished in fifth place last year.
“Last year we missed out on the knockout stages. This year we are looking at doing better and the emphasis will be on scoring goals.
“You can’t win matches you don’t score the goals.
“We have a strong defensive structure in our team so our
if main focus will be on scoring goals. Getting more goals and winning our matches,” Tommy said.
Playing in the Pefa premier league was an ideal way of preparing for the varsity tournament, he said.
“There is good local competition in Pefa and we are doing quite well there . . . we are scoring goals. It’s always about transferring that form to this competition,” he said.
The Madibaz have lost some leading players like Kieran Koert, Lundi Balfour, Vuyolwethu Marele and their inspirational captain Kurt Duff, as they have all graduated.
“Since Duff is no longer part of the programme, we needed to step up and fill the position.
“Athini Bishi has taken over the captain’s armband and is really doing well.
“He is playing for ABC Motsepe side Highbury, so we have some good experience coming from him. We are confident about the way [our new players] have settled in.
“They are getting used to our style of playing and I think we are making the correct moves forward,” Tommy said.
He said the upcoming student break would be used as an intensive preparation session heading into the start of the competition.
“During the recess which starts on June 26, we will be camping and training for Varsity Football,” Tommy said.
The Madibaz have four away and only three home games, the first three games away.
Tommy believes the travelling will be good in building team spirit.
“There are pros and cons to it. Getting used to the travelling will be an issue but it also works well if we use it as a mechanism for building team spirit because the team will actually be together for all that time,” he said.
He also urged Bay soccer lovers to support the Madibaz when playing at home.