Birds star out for two months

Moroka Swallows captain Siyabonga Nomvethe will be out of action for two months with a hand injury.

The Swallows star dropped the bombshell on Saturday night, saying he had played his last game for the Birds this year after Swallows were beaten 4-2 in a penalty shootout in the final of the MTN8 knockout cup at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday night.

The final ended 1-1 after extra time but Nomvethe admitted the better side had won and had no complaints about his team's effort.

The 32-year-old, however, had torn his wrist ligaments in the 3-2 semifinal win at home against Ajax Cape Town, and revealed that the injury was more serious than first thought.

"I was able to play against Pirates tonight (Saturday) with a special cast on my wrist," Nomvethe said.

"But I need to rest the injury and allow it to heal. The doctors have told me that I cannot play for at least two months.

"I badly wanted to play in the final, so the doctors made a plan for me with the cast."

The former Bafana Bafana striker said he believed his side would continue to gain momentum while he was on the sidelines.

"It is tough not being able to play for a while but there is nothing I can do," Nomvethe said.

"There are other players who can fill in while I am recovering and I believe that, despite losing to Pirates, we can keep improving.

"We need to focus on our league programme and make sure we finish in the top eight so we can compete in this competition again next season and try and win it again."

Nomvethe stressed it was no disgrace losing to Pirates

"They are a big team and were the favourites. We played well," he said.

"I am not disappointed. It was one of those things and we can look forward to the remainder of the season with a lot of confidence. Reaching the final was a big achievement in itself."