Blue Waters eye promotion

BLUE Waters coach Lucky Shipanga believes his team has the guts, determination and skill to make a comeback to premiership football.

The former Blue Waters midfield dynamo said he has a crop of young but talented players, who can pull the team through in a bid to land a place in top-flight football again.Blue Waters were relegated to the first division during the 2007/8 season.Blue Waters currently compete in the Southern Stream First Division’s Coastal Stream, and are second on the log with 7 points after Invincible who are on 9.Shipanga, whose team managed to go through to the Cell One NFA Cup quarter-finals at the weekend after beating Robber Chanties, says the players have shown that they are championship material.’There is a lot of confidence in my players. They have shown that confidence in their matches in the league as well as this cup competition. Our aim is to win the get back into the premiership and I strongly believe that we can do that,’ he told The Namibian Sport in an interview.He said he has no fears for any premiership sides in the Cell One NFA Cup quarter-finals.’We are ready to play against anyone but I still think we can play better than we did today (Saturday). We however don’t underestimate anyone, but our believe is to stay focused and work hard to go far in the competition,’ he said.Shipanga, who also played for cross-town rivals Eleven Arrows, will have to wait until tomorrow to hear who their next opponents are in the quarter final match.POWERHOUSE Blue Waters, traditionally a powerhouse in domestic football with a large following especially at the coast, has won the league title a record five times.They clinched it in 1986, 1988, 1996, 2000 and during the 2003/4 season.Black Africa are the only other team with five league wins.Blue Waters got the chop from premiership football after their former owner Hendrik Dawids pulled out. He is with current champions Orlando Pirates now.The side, despite being relegated, have kept some of their key players who are currently steering into the promotion direction.These players include the hard-tackling Brave Warriors defender Gottlieb Nakuta, long-serving and dedicated defender Fisher Kalimba and the veteran striker Armando Pedro.The three players are currently the pillars of the team, which now also boasts with key players such as Akio van Wyk, Bolle Haraseb and Timoteus Ipinge. If Blue Waters win their league, they will be joined by another team from the Northern Stream First Division (NSFD) to make up two new entrants to the premier league. corry@namibian.com.na