These were the sentiments of former Mamelodi Sundowns star, Surprise Moriri after his side’s good start to their Engen Knockout Challenge Gauteng title defence at the Marks Park Stadium in Johannesburg on Friday, 05 July.
Johannesburg is currently hosting the final stretch of the Engen Knockout Challenge where the winners in both the U-20 Girls and U-18 Boys division of the tournament will earn a place at the Engen Champ of Champs in September.
Moriri, who shone bright in the colours of Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana hailed the tournaments’ unique ability of affording youngsters an opportunity to harness their psychological edge through its competitive nature and exposure to different styles of play.
“I know this is about development, but it is equally important that we instil a winning mentality and development. These tournaments are quite useful in not only developing physical attributes but, psychologically it is also challenging and that is what they need in their early stages of development”, said Moriri
Sundowns, who are one of the tournament favourites stamped their authority in the tournament with two wins over Wits University and Meadowlands Academy that saw them top their group.
“We have a good start to the game, winning both of them. It is still a bit too early to but the I know things will get interesting in the next few days. So far, the boys are applying themselves very well. We are defending champions, so we are hoping to defend out title.
Meanwhile, former champions Kaizer Chiefs got their title chase to a great start in the opening match of the tournament with two a 2-0 victory over Jomo Cosmos that was followed by a 3-1 win over Randburg AFC to go top of their group as they aim to reclaim their 2023 title.
In the girls’ division, University of Johannesburg cruised past Panorama Football club with a comfortable 4-0 win ahead of their 3-0 win over Springs Home Sweepers.
Engen Knockout Challenge action continues over the weekend with more exciting youth football expected at the Marks Park Stadium in Johannesburg.