The fairytale continues for Botshabelo-based football outfit D’ General FC and coach Morena “Festy” Lothane in this year’s Nedbank Cup edition.
The increasingly illustrious side managed to secure a last-16 berth in the tournament by convincingly hammering lacklustre Limpopo-based team Madridtas FC 2 – 0 in a super-charged last-32 group tie played in the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein on Sunday, 25 February.
The roving pair Charles Sikhosana and Tladi Makhetha scored the all-important goals in each stanza of the fixture, sending into raptures a crowd of about 17 000 in the 46 000-seater stadium. These goals were vital to D’ General continuing its ambitious quest for cup glory.
The club’s shot stopper Paseka Hlalele proved equal to the task of aiding his club’s victory, making some breathtaking saves that ensured D’ General progressed for the first time ever to the last-16 group of the tournament.
With this achievement, the team becomes the fourth from the Free State to reach this stage. The other three clubs to achieve this feat are the now defunct Roses United FC and Maluti FET College, with the latest being Mathaithai FC, in 2022.
D’ General is one of only two minnows from the ABC Motsepe League that is through to the last-16 group, with the other being the Eastern Cape’s FC Ravens. Ravens beat Spain FC 3 – 1 to progress.
Lothane and his warriors have set themselves the mammoth task of becoming the first Free State second-tier club to reach the quarter-final. D’ General campaigns in the ABC Motsepe League.
The club has landed a tough home fixture in the draw – against former champions TS Galaxy FC, who became the first-ever team in a South African lower rank to lift the coveted trophy in 2019, beating Kaizer Chiefs 1 – 0 in the final.
The draw was conducted on Monday, 26 February, pairing the remaining 16 clubs in the competition. The Premier Soccer League (PSL) is yet to announce the dates and venues where the remaining 16 teams will battle it out for a slot in the quarter-final of the knockout tournament.
D’ General’s match is very likely to take place in the Toyota Stadium.
The club’s progression to the quarter-final would see Lothane and his boys improve on the already remarkable feat of reaching the last-16 group. Lothane achieved this for the first time in 2022, as coach of Mathaithai FC.
He is inspired to reach greater heights by eliminating Galaxy.
“The achievement of reaching the quarter-final will inspire even young players and make them believe it is possible. Galaxy illustrated this when they beat Chiefs in the final to lift the trophy.
“The game is played over 90 minutes, and we are going onto the field not merely to honour the fixture against Galaxy, but to compete against them, because we have the same ambition to progress as far as possible in the competition,” he says.
Lothane is of the strong view that the home draw offers D’ General another opportunity to reward the loyalty of the multitude of supporters in the Free State who continue rallying behind the club in its fairytale journey in the competition.
With the roaring crowd of passionate fans who spurred D’ General on to a convincing win against Madridtas in mind, Lothane says: “We are going to give our best against Galaxy.”
