Local Black Stars coach, Maxwell Konadu has said that his team will put up their best in their maiden appearance at the Confederation of Southern African Football Associations (COSAFA), competition.

The team will leave Accra on Thursday and play the winner of Group B on May 24, at the quarter-final stage in South Africa.

Konadu told GNA Sports that, ‘We will do our best because that is the main reason they invited Ghana to participate in the tourney. We will make the people of Ghana proud. This tourney is important to every member of the technical team and the playing body.

"In tournaments like this, you need to go there and do your best for the whole world to know that you have a good technical team in Ghana and to put Ghana on a pedestal’’.

The assistant coach of the senior national team hinted that, the Black Stars Coach, Avram Grant will be at the competition to scout players who can beef up the squad as Ghana prepares for the AFCON 2017 qualifiers.

He noted that, though there are few lapses to correct ahead of the tournament, the team is in a good mood and hoped to progress to the finals and clinch the title.

‘We are preparing very well. We started training about a month ago and we played few friendly matches here including Namibia and it went well. Even though cohesion was not at its best, we managed to win other friendly matches but that is not to say that the team is okay. There are some few lapses we need to correct."

He reiterated that every player called up deserved to be in the squad.

Ghana squad for COSAFA Cup

Goalkeepers: Mozart Adjetey (Heart of Lions), Fatau Dauda (AshantiGold), Stephen Adams (Aduana Stars)

Defenders: Godfred Saka (Aduana Stars), Joshua Tijani (AshantiGold), Emmanuel Asante (Asante Kotoko), Ahmed Adams (Asante Kotoko), Asiamah Badu (Heart of Lions), Abeiku Ainooson (Asante Kotoko), Alfred Nelson (Liberty Professionals)

Midfielders: Zakari Mumuni (WAFA), Michael Akuffo (Asante Kotoko), Isaac Twum (Heart of Lions), Hans Kwofie (Medeama), Bernard Morrison (AshantiGold ), Daniel Darkwah (Aduana Stars), Malik Akowuah (Medeama)

Forwards: Kwame Boateng (Great Olympics), Yakubu Mohammed (AshantiGold), Nathaniel Asamoah (Medeama)