Nelukau: I am a big coach, I am taking TTM to the final

Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) have reason to believe that they can repeat last season’s feat and win the Nedbank Cup for the second time in a row.

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This comes after the Limpopo-based first division side knocked the highly fancied Golden Arrows out of Ke Yona at the weekend.

Tshakhuma played with some heart and although they needed penalties to beat Abafana Bes’thende, their coach Lucky Nelukau was left impressed and believing they could again go all the way. 

“I am excited and I am a big coach, I am going straight to the final,” Nelukau told SuperSport TV after the match.  

“You know in football, hard work pays. This game was supposed to have ended in regulation time, it was not supposed to go to penalties. 

“Even though we trained for penalties knowing it could go there, I told the players that ‘you could win it in 90 minutes if you work hard enough’. 

“And they are unknown players. I took seven players from the ABC Motsepe League and three of them played the entire 90 minutes,” enthused Nelukau. 

Nelukau was also full of praise for Tshepo “Skhwama” Matete who was doing his usual tricks but also scored a credible goal to give the home side the lead.

Matete rose above Arrows’ Mthokozisi Dube to make clean contact with a header, leaving Nkosingiphile Gumede with no chance of getting to the ball as it sailed into the net.  

“You also saw Skhwama and what he was doing out there. Most people had written him off. But when I was still a player, I was like him and I know what he is capable of doing for the team.” 

Tshakhuma – who bought and sold a top-flight status in one season – are not the only team from the first division looking to be the giant slayers this year. 

University of Pretoria also proved to be credible contenders for the title when they outsmarted Chippa United in the first game of the tournament on Friday.