Bax takes up cudgels for cup

STUART Baxter will be back at his old job today to complete a final 10 days in charge of SuperSport United before leaving the club permanently for his new post in charge of the South African national team.

Officials said yesterday that Baxter was expected back on the training ground and would take charge of next Saturday’s Nedbank Cup final against Orlando Pirates at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium even though Eric Tinkler flew up to Johannesburg from Cape Town yest to begin preparations for the coming campaign.

Baxter has been with Bafana Bafana over the last fortnight with a 2- 0 win over Nigeria in the African Cup of Nations qualifiers at the weekend slightly tarnished by a 2-1 loss to Zambia in a friendly international at Moruleng on Tuesday night.

Ironically a third coach‚ Kaitano Tembo‚ is likely to have the reins on Tuesday when SuperSport United host holders TP Mazembe Englebert of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the African Confederation Cup.

Former Zimbabwe international Tembo‚ who had served as Baxter’s assistant and is likely to stay on to help Tinkler‚ has taken charge of all the matches in the group phase including an outstanding performance in Lubumbashi last week where SuperSport came back from behind to hold Mazembe 2-2 and keep up a share of top place in their group.

But officials said it was still be decided whether Baxter would be on the bench at Atteridgeville as well.

Baxter had agreed to stay until the end of the season at SuperSport when he signed on as Bafana coach and the cup final is his swansong with the club.

Tinkler has been tying up affairs in the Mother City since his dramatic unveiling as SuperSport coach last week after defecting from Cape Town City.

But yesterday he was due to meet club management to lay out plans for the coming season.

He will be office-bound for the next few days while Baxter is on the training pitch‚ preparing the team to try and win the Nedbank Cup for a second successive year.