Stanturf United assistant coach Waleed Jacobs has labelled his u19 Bayhill Premier Cup side as definite underdogs in its group at the Easter Spectacle in Belhar.
The Mitchells Plain LFA side, who has secured its spot at the biggest under 19 tournament on the continent at its third attempt, is drawn in Group H along with the defending champion Cape Town Spurs, CBS Talents and FC Porto.
The Bayhill kicks off on Wednesday (16 April) with the finals to be played at the Athlone Stadium on Easter Monday (21 April).
Jacobs, along with the Majiet’s, Eugene (head coach) and Randy (manager), have been strategizing and plotting to ensure they are adequately prepared for the showpiece.
“Look, I have to admit that it’s a fairly tough group and therefore I think we come in as underdogs and we just love that title,” Jabobs stated to No Bones with Jones.
“We know a bit about FC Porto and their style of play. The same goes for Cape Town Spurs, so we know it’s not going to be easy.
“As for CBS Talents we don’t really know much about them but managed to source in some footage from their games over the last few weeks after the official draw. “Overall, we are fully aware of the challenges that lie ahead. But we’ll give it a go and try to do our best and we know all too well it’s all about who wants it more,” he added.
Stanturf is also one of three teams, along with the host club Bayhill United and Rock-A-Fellas, that hail from Rocklands in Mitchells Plain that will fly the flag for their hometown.
Jacobs is fully aware that there will be added pressure with their rivals harbouring similar expectations.
“It goes to show the hidden talent that is in our area, you know. So the pressure is on. But hey, there will always be pressure, we just are not doing it for ourselves. It’s for our community, it’s for every player at our club, every player at Mitchells Plain LFA.
“But I think it’s not impossible to go out and compete on the big stage. So, there is lots of pressure but we’ll have to deal with it as best we can. Our aim is to really give a good account of ourselves as we need to make our community and broader Mitchells Plain proud,” Jacobs concluded.
