NFD teams to slug it out for spot in Nedbank Cup

Teams in the National First Division (NFD), which is a precursor to the prestigious Premier Soccer League, are set to slug it out for a spot in the lucrative Nedbank Cup.

The draw for the qualification round of the NFD teams was conducted by the league’s general manager for football, Derek Blackensee at its headquarters in Parktown. Eight teams that emerge from this qualification round will join eight other teams from the South African Football Association (Safa) regions and 16 from the premier league to make 32 teams.

Matches for the qualification round, which consist of a single round knockout, will be played on 9 and 10 December, which will then be followed by the draw for the Nedbank Cup 2015 to be conducted sometime early next year. The Safa qualification process is currently underway and names for their teams will be confirmed at a later stage.

The fixtures that were drawn were: FC Cape Town vs Baroka FC; Black Leopards vs Witbank Spurs; Lamontville Golden Arrows vs Milano United; Thanda Royal Zulu vs Santos FC; African Warriors vs Ga- Rankuwa United; Maluti FET College vs Royal Eagles; Highlands Park vs Vasco Da Gama; and Jomo Cosmos vs Cape Town All Stars.

Colourful soccer icon Sinki Mnisi, now a director at newly-promoted Highlands Park which beat Alex United for qualification into the NFD last year by a single point, said he was confident his side would make to the last eight of the NFD when they host Vasco Da Gama at Makhulong Stadium in Thembisa.

“They have just beaten us in a league game and this match will be revenge time for us,” he said. “I am more than confident that our boys will come out smiling from the clash. Vasco Da Gama cannot afford to beat us twice in a row.”