Christmas came early to an East Cape soccer team of physically disabled and visually impaired (PDVI) boys when they got soft points from their scheduled opening match in the schools sport champs yesterday – thanks to a no-show by their Gauteng opponents.With Gauteng nowhere to be seen, the referee waited for five minutes as per the rules of the competition and then blew the game over, with the EC team walking away with three points having not kicked the ball.
Team manager Xolani Mambushe said they welcome the early Christmas gift from Gauteng, who are the defending champions and now faced with the risk of exiting early. With Gauteng now out of the way, the EC boys stand a good chance of clinching gold if history is anything to go by.
They have never struggled against other provinces, bar Gauteng, who Mambushe believes were crowned winners illegally last year due to certain rules having been changed. “I say good riddance to Gauteng,” he said. “To have donated three soft points to us after what they did last year when we ended up finishing second instead of being champions. We are happy about the points although we would have loved to play and gauge ourselves as to where we are exactly. We will now need to organise a practice match just to keep the boys in shape but we are confident of dominance going forward regardless of not having played our first match.”
Mambushe’s optimism is inspired by having four players in his squad whose individual brilliance is good enough to get the job done.
Among the four is Liyakhanya Lincinane, a deadly striker in his own right who was the top goal scorer in the 2014 edition, with five to his name.
“I am confident he will continue on that path and bang in more goals this year as well,” said Mambushe, who is also banking on the likes of Felix Sodah, whose skill and ball-passing prowess in midfield is a marvel to watch.
Sodah is complemented by Zuko Ntanjana, a traditional number six.
The EC team is incomplete without Loyisile Mbayi-Mbayi at number 10 who, despite his physical challenges, is a gifted free-kick specialist with an educated left foot.
Easy ride after side’s no-show
With Gauteng nowhere to be seen, the referee waited for five minutes as per the rules of the competition and then blew the game over, with the EC team walking away with three points having not kicked the ball.
Team manager Xolani Mambushe said they welcome the early Christmas gift from Gauteng, who are the defending champions and now faced with the risk of exiting early. With Gauteng now out of the way, the EC boys stand a good chance of clinching gold if history is anything to go by.
They have never struggled against other provinces, bar Gauteng, who Mambushe believes were crowned winners illegally last year due to certain rules having been changed. “I say good riddance to Gauteng,” he said. “To have donated three soft points to us after what they did last year when we ended up finishing second instead of being champions. We are happy about the points although we would have loved to play and gauge ourselves as to where we are exactly. We will now need to organise a practice match just to keep the boys in shape but we are confident of dominance going forward regardless of not having played our first match.”
Mambushe’s optimism is inspired by having four players in his squad whose individual brilliance is good enough to get the job done.
Among the four is Liyakhanya Lincinane, a deadly striker in his own right who was the top goal scorer in the 2014 edition, with five to his name.
“I am confident he will continue on that path and bang in more goals this year as well,” said Mambushe, who is also banking on the likes of Felix Sodah, whose skill and ball-passing prowess in midfield is a marvel to watch.
Sodah is complemented by Zuko Ntanjana, a traditional number six.
The EC team is incomplete without Loyisile Mbayi-Mbayi at number 10 who, despite his physical challenges, is a gifted free-kick specialist with an educated left foot.
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