NMMU coach Lukhanyo Wasa says that the hard work that he and his players have put in has been rewarded with a spot in the final.
The USSA 2011 winners are the only unbeaten team in the competition after eight rounds of fixtures and they intend to keep it that way.
They will face UP-Tuks in the final in Pretoria on Monday high on confidence after ending TUT’s unbeaten run with a 1-0 win away from home.
The modest Wasa says reaching the final will change the face of football in the Eastern Cape.
There were unbelievable scenes after their semifinal victory against TUT when the final whistle was blown.
The players danced into the night as they could not quite believe what they had accomplished.
Wasa said: “I’m overwhelmed the winning feeling has not sunk it as yet. We wanted to get to the last four but now we’re in the final and it’s just unbelievable. We stopped their supply and we were tactically disciplined at the back.”
Wasa says they held a psychological session before the big match. He also revealed the secret of how his team made it to the gold medal match.
“We sacrificed a lot to get this far we sometimes woke up early in the morning to start training at 7am and sometimes we did it late into the night.
“We had to call players who had studies to also worry about to step up and be counted. We suffered together as a team and took it upon ourselves that we wanted to get to the final,” he explained.
Wasa hopes that his team will be spotted by the coaches and numerous scouts that were watching the game.
“I’m sure that there were scouts out there watching these exceptional talents at our disposal.
“We didn’t do this only for ourselves but for the province as a whole,” he added.
In the eyes of Wasa, even if they don’t win the tournament, NMMU are champions in their own right.
“We are not concerned about what colour of medal our boys will get. This campaign has been an overwhelming success regardless of the outcome in the final,” he said.
By Charles Baloyi – Sports writer Daily Sun and Sunday Sun
