Tinkler happy to go the youth route as injuries take their toll
Eric Tinkler (right) is one coach who does not shy away from throwing youngsters in the deep end whenever there is a gap in his squad owing either to injury or suspension.
Since he joined SuperSport United over six months ago, the biggest point of reference regarding his trust in youngsters is when he handed 19-year-old Sipho Mbule his debut in a Caf Confederation Cup final against the mighty TP Mazembe in the ever-so-intimidating city of Lubumbashi.
Mbule repaid Tinkler with what most pundits described as the goal of the tournament.
In parallel with Matsatsantsa’s focus on developing their own players, Tinkler is pleased to be overseeing the transition at the club.
“This club has always been very proud of producing young players and that is always going to be the objective,” said Tinkler.
“The team is going through a bit of a transitional phase and to be honest I am very impressed with what I have seen moving forward. The young players are coming in and gaining the experience.
“We want to bring in the youngsters, players are stepping up – Sipho and Teboho Mokoena have stepped up and there are quite a few young boys who are coming through and they definitely have the talent,” he added.
Tinkler is without the likes of Thabo Mnyamane, Bradley Grobler and Clayton Daniels who are sidelined by injuries. Although he would’ve preferred to have his tried and tested players, he is happy to see a new crop of players embracing the opportunity.
“When you get injuries like we have at the moment, this is where the opportunity lies for them. If you ask me if I had all of those players and whether the young- er guys would play, my answer would be ‘probably not’.
SuperSport’s winless streak in the league extended to six games when they drew 0-0 with Kaizer Chiefs on Saturday. Tomorrow they face defending champions Bidvest Wits who sit at the foot of the Absa Premiership standings.
“Yes, Wits are sitting at the bottom of the league but there is no easy game in the Premiership. Psychologically it is difficult, I have been in that position before and I know that getting out is not easy and we need to try and take advantage of their misfortune,” added Tinkler.