MILFORD FC players celebrating their Nedbank Cup quarter-final win against Sekhukhune United at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane as they head for the semi-finals.
Image: BackpagePix
PRIORITY has always been securing promotion to the Betway Premiership for Milford FC — so much so that they attempted to utilise their fringe players in the Nedbank Cup. However, according to coach Xanti Pupuma, they were "unfortunate" that these players also quickly found the same rich vein of form as the rest of the club this season.
Pupuma was speaking ahead of their Nedbank Cup semi-final clash against TS Galaxy, to be played at the Solomon Mahlangu Stadium in KwaMhlanga on Sunday afternoon, with a 3pm kick-off.
“Our priority has always been promotion, and we actually used some of our fringe players for the cup games. We were unlucky in the fact that they quickly caught up with the form the club finds itself in,” said Pupuma.
“Right now we are in the semi-final, and now we want to reach the final. We want to go there, sing the national anthem, and take the whole experience in.”
In the other semi-final, Durban City will host Casric Stars at Chatsworth Stadium in Durban on Saturday afternoon, also a 3 pm kick-off. City may need to be wary, though; Casric’s confidence has skyrocketed since they knocked out the mighty Buccaneers in the last 16 and an ambitious AmaZulu side in the quarter-finals.
The fact that Casric and Milford are involved in a tight promotion race in the Motsepe Foundation Championship should make them even more dangerous for City and Galaxy.
After their cup outings, the two sides will meet each other in what should be a mouth-watering — and perhaps highly tactical — encounter at the uMhlathuze Sports Complex on April 8 (next Wednesday).
Only two points separate the two sides at the top of the Championship table. Milford sit at the summit on 40 points, while Casric are fourth. Kruger United and Hungry Lions occupy second and third positions respectively, with 40 and 39 points.
Both Pupuma and Casric's Bucs Mthombeni have maintained that their primary goal remains promotion.
Ahead of the current international window, both sides banked dramatic wins: Milford thrashed Baroka FC 5-0 at the uMhlathuze Sports Complex, while Casric won the Mpumalanga derby against Kruger 4-0 in KwaMhlanga.