Kosta Papic cherishes ‘distraction’
First round clash a relief from NFD struggles
Four of the bottom-placed National First Division (NFD) clubs – Royal Eagles, Super Eagles, Mthatha Bucks and Ubuntu Cape Town – hope to forget their league woes when they participate in the Nedbank Cup first-round this weekend.
Royal Eagles coach Kosta Papic believes their last-32 fixture against minnows Happy Wanderers is what they need to regain their confidence in their bid to stave off relegation.
“We have been struggling in the league and we hope this Nedbank Cup game will give us some fresh breath. The game will be more about boosting our confidence,” Papic told Sowetan yesterday ahead of Sunday’s meeting with the ABC Motsepe League campaigners from KwaZulu-Natal.
“Our priority is to be safe from relegation, so we need to win every game,” he added.
The Serb admitted that planning against Wanderers has not been easy, revealing that he found limited information about their third-tier opponents.
“We do not know about them and preparing for a team that you don’t know is never easy. We tried to find out how they play but we found little information, but that does not stop us from using our own game plan which is about attacking,” said Papic.
Like his Royal Eagles counterpart, Super Eagles coach Antonio Flores thinks their Ke Yona participation gives them a chance to redeem themselves and forget about their league struggles.
Flores’ charges face provincial foes Free State Stars in the first round on Saturday.
“We will forget about the league a bit but we are aware that our priority is to survive and be in the league next season.
“The boys are ready and inspired to face Free State Stars,” said Flores.
Second-from-the-bottom Bucks face high-flying AmaZulu at King Zwelithini Stadium tomorrow (7.30pm), while 16thplaced Ubuntu simultaneously host Polokwane City at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town.
NFD Results
Uthongathi 0, Stellebosch 1; Mbombela 1, Super Eagles 0; Tshakhuma 1, Bucks 0; Highlands 4, Royal Eagles 0; Spurs 2, Kings 1; AmaTuks 1, Cosmos 0; Ubuntu 0, Leopards 4; Richards Bay 0, CPT All Stars 0.