History and trophies on AmaZulu’s minds, but first they have to win a semifinal

Wade Jooste believes it is time AmaZulu won a trophy competition but has warned his teammates not to look too far ahead when they still have one more hurdle to cross before contesting a cup final. 

Usuthu face TS Galaxy in their Carling Knockout Cup semifinal at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Sunday and Jooste said the pedigreed KwaZulu-Natal club has to justify being a candidate for the trophy by being clinical against Galaxy. 

He is not looking too far ahead though Usuthu have the advantage of playing the semifinal, and final, if they get there, at Moses Mabhida, which the Premier Soccer League has already announced as the venue for the final.

“We're just looking at the weekend game and once we get over this one we can look to the final. But we can't look past the semifinals without playing Galaxy.

“We can learn from the previous season [where AmaZulu lost 1-0 to Pirates in the final of the MTN8].

“I don't think our next game against Galaxy will be the same as the previous ones. They've been watching us these past few weeks, knowing for a while now they're playing us in the semifinal. They know us and we'll be prepared for them too.”

Usuthu play every competition with the pressure of ending their trophy drought that has now stretched to 32 years. The club last won a cup in 1992 when the late Clive Barker led the team to a famous 3-1 victory over Kaizer Chiefs in the Coca-Cola Cup final at FNB Stadium.

Since then AmaZulu have lost in two finals — to Bidvest Wits in the Nedbank Cup in 2009-2010 and last year's defeat to Pirates in the MTN8 at Moses Mabhida. 

Jooste — the 32-year-old versatile right-footed former Bloemfontein Celtic, Golden Arrows, Highlands Park, Pirates and Maritzburg United player — joined AmaZulu at the start of the 2023-2024 campaign.

He featured in Usuthu's Carling wins in the previous rounds against Chiefs (1-0) and Arrows (3-0), playing on the right side of coach Pablo Martin's team. He believes using the experience of Usuthu's well-travelled senior players such as Ramahlwe Mphahlele and George Maluleka, who have won cup finals with their previous teams, will be crucial. 

“It's important to use some of the guys who have won trophies before, to use that experience to help the team in a situation like this when we are in the semifinal. To make the guys understand what is at stake for us — if we win this cup it is very important.

“It's not just to say we've won a trophy, but you're also making history for yourself. So it's something big and we're keen to use our experience we have in the team to get the victory on Sunday.”

Richards Bay FC host Stellenbosch FC in the other semifinal at King Zwelithini Stadium in Umlazi on Saturday. Both matches kick off at 3pm.