• Tweet

FAST HEALER: Moroka Swallows striker Siyabonga Nomvethe

RELATED ARTICLES

• Cosmos ready for opener
• Depleted Warriors wade into Angola
• Moment of truth for Hungarian football

The forward pulled out of the Bafana Bafana squad for their friendly internationals against Brazil and Mozambique after injuring a toe for the Birds against Orlando Pirates on September 1.

There had been fears that he would spend most of this month on the sidelines, but Swallows coach Zeca Marques said he could be back sooner.

"We are assessing him every second day and looking at the physio reports," Marques told Avusa Sports. "We will have to see how he goes for Friday's match, we will make a final decision on Thursday. If he is still feeling pain then he will be out.

"We cannot let him play if it is painful. Obviously with the toe, just running can be sore, let alone kicking the ball. Other knocks you can sometimes play through, but with the toe you cannot put the guy out there."

The loss of Nomvethe would be a huge blow. His 20 league goals last season were the reason Swallows finished second, while he has contributed a number of assists in this campaign.

The Birds had the weekend off from training, taking advantage of the international break to give their players a rest.

They have already played six matches this campaign, three in the league and three in the MTN8 and with the final of that competition coming up on September 22, Marques wants to keep his players as fresh as possible.

The coach might decide to keep Nomvethe in reserve for the MTN8 decider against SuperSport United rather than risk him against AmaTuks, which would open the door for a first start of the season for Mpho Maleka.

He netted off the bench as Nomvethe's replacement in the 3-0 win over Orlando Pirates last time out.

Comments

• Sign in or sign up to comment

Tue May 21 22:18:29 SAST 2013 ::

Sep 11, 2012

maneater

SIYABONGA!!
Report Abuse

Sep 11, 2012

ThirdEye

Atleast Mathebula is also back, Swallows will make their mark again.
Report Abuse

Sep 11, 2012

Papage

Come back old man, those boys need you next week for the cup final, R8milion withought you is impossible.
Report Abuse

Sep 11, 2012

GCTarbaby

The tenacious irrepressible Gordon Igsund has set the tone, the legacy and the will to win at Swallows. It's going to take a while before that fades. In the process swallows fans of yesteryear would come back to the stadiums and help woo the younger fans whose loyalty changes with your fortunes.
Report Abuse

Sep 11, 2012

Moffdat

GO TUKS GO... Tshwane stand up!!!
Report Abuse

Sep 12, 2012

Nkhada

I wish him a speedy recovery
Report Abuse

Read all 6 comments