THE strong character shown by AmaZulu against Moroka Swallows in Soweto at the weekend has made coach Neil Tovey believe the Durbanites can go all the way in the Nedbank Cup.
Despite losing defender Marc van Heerden to a red card in the second half of their last-16 clash at Dobsonville Stadium on Saturday night, Usuthu dragged the defending champions of the competition into extra time and then knocked them out with a perfect performance in the penalty shootout.
It was AmaZulu's second successive away victory over Swallows and third overall for the season, leaving Tovey a proud man.
"I thought we did exceptionally well," said the beaming former Bafana Bafana skipper yesterday.
"There was passion and guts from our players. Even when we were down to 10 men, we still controlled the game.
"The pitch was heavy and turned up because of the rain earlier in the day and it was difficult to play good football.
"But I thought we controlled most of the game. Yes, I am proud of the players."
And practising penalties many times in training paid off for Usuthu, after an extra-time score of 2-2.
"Yes, we were very good in the shoot-out. The guys did well under pressure," said Tovey, whose men registered a 6-5 score, with striker Dumisani Ngwenya scoring the last penalty after a miss by Swallows player Phumelele Bhengu.
"It was a hard and tough game and we were happy to come through it.
"It is performances like this that makes you confident of going all the way."
It was generally a good weekend for away teams in the competition, with Pretoria University, Free State Stars and even FC Cape Town advancing on grounds they are not used to playing on.
Usuthu's opponents in the quarter-finals will be known next Monday when the draw is made.
The matches will be played on the following weekend.
But such is Usuthu's confidence that they won't worry which opponents they get, according to the coach.
Though Van Heerden won't be available through suspension, central defender Siphiwe Mkhonza and striker Ayanda Dlamini will be back from suspension while goalkeeper Mbongeni Mzimela looks to overcome a knee injury.
The remaining quarter- finals this coming weekend are BidVest Wits versus Thanda Royals, Orlando Pirates versus Als Puk Tawana, Mamelodi Sundowns versus Black Leopards and Winners Park versus MP Black Aces.