Kaizer Chiefs anchorman Willard Katsande sees the Telkom Knockout as an ideal opportunity to reward himself and his family with a fat Christmas bonus after enduring a dry spell of three years in which Amakhosi have won no silverware.
Chiefs visit Bidvest Wits in the semifinal of the 35-year-old cup on Saturday night in the first cup meeting in three years between the two sides.
"Our eyes are on the big prize as we want to go all the way and win this competition. We've starved our supporters for three years and we are now desperate to correct that.
"We also want to reward ourselves with bonuses as the festive season is around the corner," said Katsande, who was on the losing side when Chiefs last met Wits in a cup tie - a Nedbank Cup semifinal in 2014.
He said Chiefs are encouraged that they haven't conceded in this year's competition having gone past AmaZulu 3-0 and Chippa United 1-0. "We want to win this cup for our coach [Steve Komphela] who's been good to us. He has been working so hard but unfortunately we haven't managed to win something major with him."
Komphela trying to win over fans
The Zimbabwe-born midfield star dismissed fears about playing Wits in their tiny Johannesburg backyard, - Bidvest Stadium, saying they will be prepared to die on the field no matter where they play.
"Even if we were to play on a railway line, it doesn't matter. Even if we were to play in the ocean, all we need to do is to go win this match and progress to the final."
While Wits head coach Gavin Hunt might be forgiven by club head honchos even if his team bails out in the semis, given that they still have to improve a lot in what has been a poor attempt to defend their first league title, the same cannot be said of Komphela.
The Chiefs mentor has a mammoth task as he continues with his struggle to win the support of his club faithful.
Wits midfield player Xola Mlambo, who should battle it out with Katsande on Saturday, said as a club they were not prioritising one competition over another and Hunt did not tell them otherwise as they were preparing for this cup tie.
"Yes we didn't have an ideal start in the league but as players we'll do everything to win this cup," said Mlambo. "We see it as a springboard in our league campaign."
This encounter should produce fireworks given the drama which unfolded in the two teams' last meeting in the league match at FNB Stadium on September 16.
In that match, Komphela was agitated by a Wits official he claimed uttered some unpalatable words to him as he tried to greet the match officials after the match...