When Itumeleng Khune was told that he would be going to Ghana for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, he was well pleased to be making the journey to West Africa and was looking forward towards using it as learning curve and a stage by which he could gain from and eventually help him take over the number one spot in the national team.

There was always an outside chance that the 2007 Telkom Cup player of the tournament, could be called upon to stand between the posts for Bafana Bafana. A freak accident to former Chiefs keeper Rowen Fernandez as he warmed prior to South Africa taking on Botswana in a friendly game, which saw the automatic choice for number one fracture a finger, has opened up the way for Khune to be in the squad when Bafana take on Angola on Wednesday.

Even though Fernandez is expected back in the team for the next game against Tunisia at the weekend, Khune believes that he and every other member of the team will have their part to play as Bafana aim to put behind them the demons of the last tournament in Egypt two years ago, and try to go beyond the group stage.

Pushing the favourites

Khune will deputize for Moeneeb Josephs on Wednesday in Tamale. Even though he might not get any game time in Ghana, Khune feels that he has already played his part in ensuring that Bafana Bafana does the nation proud.

Speaking to kaizerchiefs.com in Tamale on Monday morning at the Tamasco Sporting Club upon the conclusion of South Africa's training session Khune said.

"Any player in the team can be called upon at any time the nature of football is such that players get injured and others have to come in and replace them. I am on the bench on Wednesday and I have been pushing hard during training and the other keepers know that I am hungry for an opportunity to play, if I show my willingness to fight then the other guys will naturally lift their game which will create healthy competition amongst us and in the end the team will be the major beneficiary as all the keeper will be on top of their game".

Quiet reflection

Bafana Bafana have played a low key role in Tamale even though they do have a healthy attendance at their training sessions - much of the focus in the town has been on the super star filled Senegalese team. The young Chiefs keeper feels that is the best thing that could happen to them as they prefer to work under the radar, and for the focus to be elsewhere instead of on them.

Khune said of this "we are really looked at as the underdogs of the group and this is the way we would prefer it. Playing against teams who know little about you while you know much more about them puts us in a very advantageous position. We do not have the same kind of pressure that Senegal, Tunisia and Angola are under and that will allow us to play with more ease and I am confident that we can find the results which will take us through to the next round".