Border Derby as NFL kicks off
Border Derby as NFL kicks off
Posted: 2010-09-10 10:33
The kick-off of the First Division today heralds a new dawn in the Eastern Cape when Blackburn Rovers make a welcome return to the paid ranks with a tough derby opener against Bay United tomorrow.
Now under experienced coach Ian Palmer, Blackburn will be hoping to spend only one season in the NFD as they seek to bring top-flight football back to the EC.
Palmer who won promotion with Maritzburg United at the end of the 2007/2008 season is confident his team would not disappoint against Umlilo and felt a "win is of utmost importance to give the team confidence".
"The team is looking sharp and I've been impressed with the determination shown. The players have responded well and have done everything asked of them at training," he told East London's Daily Dispatch.
"We are going to PE confident of taking all three points ... however, a point will not necessarily be a bad thing bearing in mind we are opening the season away from home."
"We need to get off to a flier to at least be in the top-three come December."
With a fully fit squad to choose from, Palmer was keeping his cards close to his chest regarding his starting eleven.
"I more or less have my starting team in mind but we've still got a few more sessions and this is football ... anything can happen," he said.
And on whether he has done anything special in training to counter the long ball tactics that are usually favoured by Bay coach David Bright, Palmer said: "We've been working on dealing with long balls and defending corners and set pieces ... we will be well prepared if he decides to go the long route."
"We are also working on counter attacks because Bright's teams don't usually recover well ... he usually has five or six at the back."
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