Nedbank Cup not a priority for SuperSport
Given that SuperSport United are blowing hot and cold in the league, Eric Tinkler does not appear to be keen on embarking on a successful defence of the Nedbank Cup.
Coach Eric Tinkler (Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)
SuperSport have dominated the tournament for the past two years having unprecedentedly won the title twice on the trot. What would be a remarkable third time in a row is not on the cards as Tinkler prioritize top-flight status.
“Right now our priority has to be the league,” said Tinkler ahead of Matsatsantsa A Pitori’s Nedbank Cup round of 32 against Bloemfontein Celtic this Sunday.
“We made it clear that as much as we would have loved to try and keep the title and hold on to it for a third time, right now it is not our priority. I’ve explained to the players,” Tinkler added.
He continued: “We have three very massive league games coming up, two of them are extremely important, Platinum Stars and Ajax Cape Town. So obviously our priority has to be there but that does not mean that we don’t want to see ourselves going through to the next round.”
Tinker said he will rest key members of his squad and give his fringe players an opportunity to play. Be that as it may, the former Orlando Pirates mentor is confident that whichever team he picks will be able to muster a way through to the round of 16.
“We believe we’ve got a squad good enough with some experience and with some youth that can go to Celtic and get us the right result. This is an opportunity for some of the fringe players to get an opportunity to play without any pressure,” Tinkler concluded.
