WITH the National First Division (NFD) title race set to intensify in the second round, pacesetters Thanda Royal Zulu will be hoping to hang on to their key players in this January transfer window.
Former SA Under-20 captain Ayabulela Konqobe, who played a vital role in defence to help Thanda remain unbeaten in the first round, and Mhlengi Cele, who has been finding the back of the net regularly, are hot properties and on the wish list of several Absa Premiership teams.
Thanda took the NFD by a storm this season after surviving the axe last season. They broke Golden Arrows’ 2014-15 season run of 14 games unbeaten in the NFD by playing all 15 first round fixtures without defeat.
Three of the four KwaZulu-Natal teams are in the top four. Thanda lead the pack with 35 points, followed by Royal Eagles in second place with 25 and AmaZulu fourth with 23 points.
Real Kings who are in their first season in the NFD, are the only KZN team missing from the top four. They are 11th with 18 points.
Heading into the second round Thanda’s future is in their hands now – the race is theirs to lose. They can determine the pace.
Thanda CEO Sifiso Biyela says they are not keen on selling any players: “Every club will be against Thanda in the second round, but we will be ready for any situation. We have our goal that we want to achieve.”
He added: “In the second round we need to get 30 points, which means we must win 10 games to make sure we secure our place in the PSL.
“We plan to add no more than four players. Those players are training with the club already, we are waiting for the coaches’ assessments of them.”
