With Milford on the verge of clinching a promotion to the Premiership following their 1-0 win over Magesi at Richards Bay Stadium on Wednesday, coach Xanti Pupuma says they can’t let this one go.
Milford are top of the mini-league table with six points after two matches and a win against Cape Town City at Richards Bay Stadium on Saturday will put them closer to their dream of playing Premiership football.
I know there is still a lot of work to be done; we are playing on the weekend, and even that might not finish it. But we needed a positive result.
— Coach Xanti Pupuma
Magesi are second with three points, while the Citizens are rooted at the bottom of the table without a point after two matches.
Should they beat City tomorrow, Milford will move to nine points and will need a point in their last match against Magesi to confirm their place in the Premiership.
They can also be promoted if Magesi and the Citizens play to a draw on Wednesday.
“I know there is still a lot of work to be done; we are playing on the weekend, and even that might not finish it. But we needed a positive result,” Pupuma told the media during the post-match press conference.
“It was a very difficult game. They are a Premiership team and well-organised defensively. They did what they did and we tried to break them, and for us to manage it at the end, we are grateful for the three points. But back to the drawing board and try to work out how to deal with Cape Town City.
“They are quite a strong team and they will come here hoping that they will get three points.”
After their impressive run in the Nedbank Cup, where they reached the semifinal and finished in second in the Motsepe Foundation Championship, Pupuma said they have already created expectations and said the pressure of winning the last game will motivate his side.
“Where we are and the kind of expectations that we have created in the team with the Nedbank run and how we finished last season, we kind of put pressure on ourselves,” he said.
“People expect us to perform, so we are used to pressure, and hopefully the boys can get better. We will sit and talk about it. We know what we need. I think it’s too close now to let it go.”
With City coming on Saturday, Pupuma expect them to come out firing as they look for their first three points to keep their slim hopes of qualifying alive.
Sowetan
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