Eric wants no more anguish
Michaelson Gumede
Eric Tinkler (above) is not prepared to experience another heartbreak, as he did when losing the 2017 Caf Confederation Cup final when SuperSport United take on TP Mazembe over two legs next month.
The Matsatsantsa coach was in charge when Orlando Pirates lost the Confederation Cup final in 2015, going down to Tunisian side Etoile du Sahel, and this time he wants to make sure he lifts the trophy high.
It is not going to be easy for Matsatsantsa as in Mazembe they face the Confederation Cup holders, though they did manage two draws with them in the group stages of this year’s competition.
“I have experienced what it’s like to go all the way to the final and lose it, and we don’t want that to happen again,” said Tinkler on his team’s arrival from Tunisia at OR Tambo International Airport yesterday.
SuperSport’s 3-1 win in Rades against Club Africain on Sunday put them into their second final this season – they have already won the MTN8 in Durban, beating Cape Town City in the final.
“It a fantastic achievement for us to get to the final, but we haven’t won anything yet. We want to go all the way, and how do we do that? We remain focused and remain humble. We have the final and that is the job, afterwards, we can celebrate and talk,” said Tinkler.
“We feel great today and excellent inside, but the job is not done, that’s the important thing. It is a moment of pride for everybody involved at the club, it is a moment of pride for me.”
Tinkler also gave credit to his predecessors in the SuperSport coaching role, Stuart Baxter, and Kaitano Tembo, who led Matsatsantsa in their run to the Confederation Cup quarterfinals, before Tinkler took over.
“The players and the technical team must take all the credit. I only came in towards the end of the competition but they travelled that long road.
“The passion and the determination to go far in this competition, they’ve always had it, it just made my job a lot easier,” said Tinkler.
It’s a fantastic achievement for us, but we haven’t won anything yet.
Eric Tinkler SuperSport United coach