Call on fans to support Madibaz soccer team
NMMU Madibaz soccer coach Graeme Harrison and his bruised charges are expected to pick up the pieces when they clash against the University of Cape Town (UCT) in a Varsity Football Challenge Cup match at the NMMU south campus stadium tonight (6pm).
Port Elizabeth's wounded Madibaz will be hoping to do damage control after they were humiliated 3-0 by the University of Johannesburg (UJ) last week.
Bolstered by the home support, the Madibaz will bring in a few young players to achieve their objective of collecting maximum points against the Capetonians.
The team will also welcome the return of captain Kurt Duff, who was unavailable for selection for the game against UJ because of personal commitments.
Madibaz striker Claudius Sagandira tops the casualty list of injured players after suffering concussion in the clash with UJ and his place will be taken by Reginald Mabokane.
Attacking midfielder Cornelius Matuoane will also not be playing after he sustained a knee injury last week.
Harrison will introduce Lukhanyo Stemele and Vuyolwethu Marele to reinforce his defence, while Sachin Jackson will boost the midfield.
He said the team's technical staff had been working hard on balancing the defence and attack positions.
"We want to go forward and increase our attacking chances, then convert those chances into goals," Harrison said. "Our aim is to avoid defending a lot and to be more attack- minded.
"There are no easy games in Varsity Football Challenge, so to win games we need to score more goals."
He said the team just need to work hard and to fight for a positive result against UCT.
"The match against UJ was only our second game of the competition, and if you look at the history of the tournament, last year's champions Tuks (University of Pretoria) lost their first two games but managed to make it to the semifinals and then go on to win the competition.
"The boys are determined to bounce back and everyone is in a confident mood. While we won't underestimate UCT, we will be going all out to take the three points on offer and give our home supporters something to cheer about."
UCT also suffered a defeat last week, losing to Tuks.
"UCT are known for their aggressive style of play, so they too will want to set the record straight," Harrison said.
"We're up for the fight and we're determined to put on a good show and not disappoint our supporters."
Harrison urged Madibaz fans to come out in their numbers to cheer and motivate the team.
"We've seen around the country how the other Varsity Football teams have massive support and we need our fans to do the same.
"Crowd support is very, very important and can make all the difference to the game." - Mthetho Ndoni
