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the Nedbank Cup Final tomorrow, it would be tantamount to moving a mountain.
The National First Division side will lock horns with the reigning Premier Soccer League champions on Saturday at the Mbombela Stadium and the Zimbabwean mentor admits Leopards are the underdogs.
“We are the underdogs obviously because we will be playing against the PSL champions . . . trying to beat them will be like trying to move a mountain,” he said.
“We will just have to wait for Saturday to see what would happen.
“My wish is to win the cup, but it is something that will be difficult looking at the team we will be facing.”
Leopards’ appearance in the 2011 Nedbank Cup decider is just the fourth instance of a First Division side reaching the Final in the 40-year history of the competition.
But quite remarkably, three of those occasions have been in the last four years.
Leopards will take on Orlando Pirates hopeful of going one better than the second-tier sides who have gone before them by winning the trophy.
University of Pretoria lost the 2009 Final to Moroka Swallows, a lone goal from Vinicius da Silva after 21 minutes sealing their fate.
Mpumalanga Black Aces managed it too in 2008, but they would also go on to lose 1-0 to a late goal from Lerato Chabangu for Mamelodi Sundowns.
The first lower league side to feature in a cup final was Pretoria City, who in 1995 lost 3-2 to Cape Town Spurs.
It was once again a brave effort from City, who were meeting a Spurs side that would go on to complete the League and Cup Double, and had a host of top names in their side, such as Andre Arendse and Shaun Bartlett.
City, however, had some big names of their own, not least ex-Kaizer Chiefs striker Shane MacGregor, midfield wizard Thomas Madigage and a young Kerryn Jordan, who would go on to play for Manning Rangers, Moroka Swallows and Bafana Bafana.
City were unlucky in that final too. They took the lead through MacGregor on nine minutes, only for Spurs to equalise thanks to an unlucky own-goal from Harris Jacobs six minutes later.
And when Spurs took the lead on 25 minutes through Roger Lupiya, it appeared the top-flight side were headed for a comfortable win.
But a second from the veteran MacGregor five minutes past the hour-mark brought the game level again and, with extra-time looming, it was left to Bartlett to snatch the winner and consign City to defeat.
The club would, however, win promotion to the top-flight that year, be renamed SuperSport United, and go on to win the Nedbank Cup in 1999 and 2005, as well as three League trophies in a row. – SuperSport