Sekhukhune United head coach Papi Zothwane believes his experience of winning the Carling Knockout Cup with Magesi can help inspire his current team as they prepare to face Richards Bay in the last 16 of the competition.

Zothwane was part of Clinton Larsen’s technical team when Magesi produced a memorable upset against Mamelodi Sundowns in the 2024 final. The Limpopo-based club defeated the reigning champions to lift the trophy, recording one of the biggest surprises in South African football.

The experience of reaching a cup final and beating one of Africa’s biggest clubs is something Zothwane hopes to share with his Sekhukhune United players. He believes those memories can help the team understand what is possible if they remain focused and work towards their goal of winning silverware this season.

The coach wants his players to believe they can also enjoy a successful cup campaign, but he knows that reaching the final will require them to overcome several difficult opponents along the way.

“From my experience, it has to rub off on the team, the players, share the memories, and the feeling of going to a final and even winning it, against one of the biggest teams in Africa – so I will definitely push my team to see the possibility of going to the final,” Zothwane said.

However, the Sekhukhune coach is aware that his side cannot afford to look too far ahead. Richards Bay stand in their way in the last 16, and Zothwane expects a difficult encounter against a team that will also be determined to progress to the next round.

He stressed that Sekhukhune must take the competition one match at a time instead of becoming distracted by the possibility of reaching another final. The immediate priority is to secure a victory and move closer to their ambition of lifting the trophy.

“But it goes by winning one game at a time, and we’re now playing against Richards Bay – a tough opponent, it’s nice to win a cup, so as a team we have an ambition to win a trophy and Black Label gives us an opportunity to do that,” he added.

Zothwane also emphasised the importance of respecting Richards Bay and approaching the match with caution. Despite his ambition to guide Sekhukhune towards a successful cup run, he understands that his team must perform well on the day to progress.

“We will approach this fixture with caution and respect of the opposition we’re playing against, and we hope to go to the next round,” he concluded.

Sekhukhune will now look to use their coach’s previous cup experience as motivation when they meet Richards Bay. Zothwane hopes the lessons he learned with Magesi can help Babina Noko compete for the Carling Knockout trophy and create their own memorable moment this season.

Source: IDiskiTimes