Magesi now shifts focus to survival in their maiden premiership football season
Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Manqoba Mngqithi leads the chasing pack of coaches in votes to coach the All-Star Team to take Carling Knockout champions Magesi FC on December 21.
Magesi FC hopes to translate its good run of form in the Carling Knockout tournament in which it has toppled the big guns of premiership football and apply it in the marathon league to ensure it survives its maiden season.
Assistant coach Papi Zothwane said no one gave them a chance, especially in their first cup meeting with Orlando Pirates but the boys played their game and upset the highly rated Mighty Buccaneers with a 3-2 score.
Read more: Will the football Davids of Magesi down the premiership Goliaths of Sundowns?
“When we finally got to the final of the tournament against Mamelodi Sundowns it was even worse, as people had already handed the trophy to them before we even kicked the ball, and again, the boys caused yet another upset to be crowned champions on a 2-1 score.
“Now that the cup tournament is done and dusted, we want to pay special attention to the league to ensure we survive our maiden season. We have already made several pieces of history in the cup, beating the big guns, such as Pirates, Sundowns, and others, on our road to the championship.
“Being rookies of the league and winning a trophy, that alone is also a piece of history and that run of form now needs to be translated to the league to ensure we avoid relegation as we currently sit in a precarious position,” Zothwane said
A former Maritzburg City, Golden Arrows, Sundowns, and Bloemfontein Celtic player, Zothwane praised astute head coach Clinton Larsen’s role in the team’s success in the Carling Knockout.
Also read: A new Carling Knockout football champion will be crowned
“Larsen urged the boys to play it cool in the first half so they do not concede early goals and Sundowns managed only one. This worked wonders as they came back for the second stanza determined to cause an upset that they managed with a last-minute smash-and-grab to win the trophy.
“He urged them to work hard to become the first team to beat the Goliaths of the premiership,” Zothwane said.
Meanwhile, Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi leads the pack by 34 056 votes to coach the All-Star Team that will take on the champions of the Carling Knockout, Magesi FC in the Carling Cup at the Orlando Stadium on December 21.
He’s ahead of cup kings, the mighty Orlando Pirates coach José Luis Riveiro, who has so far garnered 30 008 votes with a couple of days before the closing of the voting lines. Third is Nasreddine Nabi of Kaizer Chiefs with only 18 064 votes so far.
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