As the Nedbank Cup Round of 32 rolls on, Motsepe Foundation Championship side Milford will take on tournament debutants Soweto Super United on Tuesday evening, while Polokwane City and AmaZulu square off in a keenly anticipated top-flight clash.
For years, the Nedbank Cup has proven to be a platform for smaller clubs to test themselves among the elite.
Take Soweto Super United for one, a club who ply their trade in the Gauteng ABC Motsepe League, will now take on Milford at the Dobsonville Stadium this week.
Fondly known as ‘Top Dogz’, Soweto Super United will be making their debut in the competition and have come a long way among the lower leagues in South African football.
From playing in local Kasi tournaments to more organised football structures, SSU coach Thabang Chauke recently detailed a brief history of the club.
“Many people, when you say SSU, they think of SuperSport United,” Chauke said.
“We are Soweto Super United, we include M17, where our village is. Our team was founded in Soweto and we normally played in Kasi Tournaments until we managed to get into the formal league.
“We managed to relocate our Village to Soshanguve M17.”
Elsewhere, Polokwane City and AmaZulu will do battle at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in the adjacent fixture on Tuesday evening.
In the Betway Premiership, Rise & Shine currently occupy eighth on the log and last featured in a 2-2 draw alongside Orbit College on 31 January.
AmaZulu on the other hand are in fourth position on the league table and suffered a 2-0 loss against Orlando Pirates in their most recent fixture.
Usuthu’s best showing in the tournament came during the 2009/10 campaign, where they went all the way to the final before suffering a 3-0 loss against Bidvest Wits, who were under the tutelage of Roger De Sa at the time.
Nedbank Cup Round of 32 fixtures:
Tuesday, 10 February
Soweto Super United vs Milford
Polokwane City vs AmaZulu
Both games set to commence at 7:00pm (CAT, GMT+2)