DELMAS – Nomakanjani FC were crowned champions of the PJ Blue Fam Heritage Day Tournament after securing a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Young Guns in the final on 25 September 2026.

The two-day tournament, held from 24 to 25 September, featured four teams: hosts PJ Stars, Young Guns, Nomakanjani FC and PSG Daveyton.

The competition followed a round-robin format, with each team facing the other three sides once before the top two advanced to the final.

Nomakanjani booked their place in the decider after an impressive group-stage campaign, beating Young Guns 3-0 in their opening match and PSG Daveyton 4-0 before playing to a 2-2 draw against PJ Stars.

Young Guns recovered from their opening defeat to Nomakanjani, securing a 1-0 victory over PJ Stars and a 2-0 win against PSG Daveyton to reach the final.

The two sides met again in the title decider, where Snethemba “Neymar” Masombuka scored the decisive goal to hand Nomakanjani a 1-0 victory and the championship.

Despite the defeat, Young Guns coach Innocent Gift Mabena was encouraged by his team's performance, saying they had adjusted their tactics and controlled large parts of the match.

“We tweaked the tactics a bit and dominated the game until our key defender pulled a muscle. Within that split second, they got an opportunity to capitalise and scored,” Mabena told Highveld Chronicle.

He said his side created several scoring opportunities but failed to convert them.

Mabena believes the performance was a positive sign, particularly against an experienced Nomakanjani side.

“Looking at the squad we were playing against, we were playing against one of the top teams we have in eKasi. To dominate that game through and through is a good positive,” he said.

He added that Young Guns would focus on improving their finishing ahead of their league campaign.

Nomakanjani coach Nhlakanipho Ngobese attributed his team's success to months of preparation, tactical discipline and commitment.

He acknowledged the intensity and high pressing displayed by Young Guns but praised his defenders for withstanding the pressure.

“Young Guns brought incredible energy and aggressive high pressing, but our backline remained completely unbreakable,” Ngobese said.

He explained that Nomakanjani approached the tournament one match at a time and carefully managed the players' recovery periods between fixtures to maintain their competitiveness.

Ngobese also commended the organisers for providing local teams and young players with an opportunity to showcase their talent.

“I wish they can host more tournaments so that we can improve the standard of our location,” he said.

For hosts PJ Stars, the tournament was about more than winning. Coach and organiser Blessing Panish Ngavi said the initiative aimed to unite the community and revive football activities in Extension 3.

PJ Stars were eliminated after drawing against PSG Daveyton and Nomakanjani before suffering a 1-0 defeat to Young Guns.

Despite the early exit, Ngavi was pleased with his team's performance, particularly as approximately 70% of the squad consisted of players who had progressed through the club's development structures.

“We felt bad but at the same time happy with the performance of our boys since we used almost 70% of the players from our development,” he said.

Ngavi said seeing younger players score for the senior team demonstrated the potential within the club, although finishing, pace and height remained areas requiring improvement.

“It is a learning curve for us,” he said.

Looking ahead, Ngavi plans to strengthen the squad with experienced players while continuing to improve the team's finishing.

He also hopes to secure sponsorship and attract more teams to future editions of the tournament, with the aim of increasing the prize money.