Old Grey are one step closer to reaching the pinnacle of the Nedbank Cup Round of 32 after winning the Eastern Cape ABC Motsepe League preliminary final at the weekend.

They now await the provincial regional league winner in the next phase to determine if they proceed and join Premier Soccer League team Chippa United and possibly Highbury, who have their own qualification process to deal with, as the representatives of the Eastern Cape.

The Nelson Mandela Bay outfit beat Bizana Pondo City 4-3 on penalties after matters ended in a goalless draw on regulation time in the final of the third-tier prelims held at the Dumpy Adams Stadium in Komani on Saturday.

The game was stopped due to thunderstorms but eventually progressed.

Old Grey's journey to the final included a convincing 4-1 victory over Buffalo City Relatives earlier on Saturday in the semifinal of the qualifiers.

In that game, Amyoli Falase netted a second-half hattrick while Vernan Campher opened proceedings 30 minutes into the game.

Athi Lafota was the goal scorer for Relatives.

Runners up Pondo City's road to the final was more complicated on the day.

They first had to play an eliminator against Amavarara, which they won 4-0.

Halfway through the match, Pondo City already had a 2-0 lead.

They went on to face Bush Bucks in the semifinals of the qualifiers, winning 2-1.

In that game, Pondo City quickly gathered a two-goal cushion by the end of the first stanza.

Mighty Eagles were the last team to represent the Eastern Cape from the lower league in the Nedbank Cup in 2025.

In their last outing in 2025, Eagles were beaten by Betway Premiership side AmaZulu in the first round of the competition.