No mistake this time around, vows Alex United

Alex United will be leaving nothing to chance in their bid to secure promotion to the National First Division (NFD).

This was the message from the team’s coach, Tracy-Lee Pepper and captain, Collen Zimba, in an interview with Alex News.

United have spent many years in the ABC Motsepe League – formerly the Vodacom League and Safa Second Division – and the Hope City Giants, as United is fondly known to its many faithful supporters in the sprawling and oldest township in the country, are still hoping for promotion to the NFD.

The NFD is one league below the ultimate and prestigious Premier Soccer League, where United see themselves plying their trade.

For the past three seasons, United have missed promotion by a whisker after commanding the league and needing just a single point to secure a spot in the promotional play-offs, eventually being pipped to the spot by their rivals.

“This time around, we’re determined not to make the same mistakes of the previous three seasons where we miss promotion by the skin of our teeth,” said Pepper.

Zimba added, “We have gone back to the drawing board and devised a system and plan which we hope we stick to, and will work wonders for our promotional bid.”

Part of the plan is to ensure that United wins as many matches in the early stages of the league, thereby opening a wide gap at the top of the table between them and their rivals.

“We want to ensure that we win the league long before the final match. We don’t want to wait for the last minute as we have done in the past. We want the last couple of matches to be just a formality as we know the league is in the bag already,” Pepper said.

Zimba added, “We had a good start, winning six of nine matches and drawing three with no loss, and I think that is remarkable so far.”