Randy Waldrum Says He Has “Plan B” For Injured Super Falcons Players

Super Falcons of Nigeria coach, Randy Waldrum is confident that his “Plan B” for the injured players in his squad will deliver against South Africa at 5 p.m. on Friday, April 5.

Coach Randy Waldrum and his team are going into the third round of the 2024 Olympics qualifiers against South Africa without two of the team’s most experienced defenders, Tosin Demehin and Ashleigh Plumptre.

The two players were named in Waldrum’s squad for the two-legged qualification tie but had to withdraw from the team earlier this week due to fitness issues.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with those two players, they are both valued and important players to us. They are two mainstays in defense and it is a big loss not to have those two”, coach Randy Waldrum told NFF TV.

“My first thought and concern is getting them healthy and ensuring they are going to be okay but I think as a coach you must always have a Plan B and we’ve been working on those plans. Think we have players who are ready to step in and do the job for us. I think I have confidence in the depth of the squad and I believe they can come in and do the job for us.”

Coach Randy Waldrum and his girls must defeat South Africa at MKO Abiola stadium on Friday and grab at least a point in Pretoria four days after to book themselves a place in the 2024 Olympics.

Note that the Banfana Banfana are the reigning African women’s champions which means that it is going to be a tough one for the Super Falcons.

However, coach Waldrum is confident that his team has all it takes to knock out the reigning African champions.

“My thought about the South African team is that they are a very good side and they are the women’s champions and we have to have respect for them”, the American tactician said.

“I will guess some of their players are probably not here yet, though the majority of the team may be here already and I think it is smart to come in here early and train here but we can’t really worry about what they are doing.

“We have to just focus and concentrate on the task that we have and that is to make sure that our players are prepared for their responsibilities for the Friday match.”

Coach Randy Waldrum added, “They have individual talent and upfront they are very dangerous and the coach has done a very good job. But as I said before the World Cup and I am saying it again, I really like our team and I have all the confidence that our players will perform really well.”