Maritzburg get past loss of Cele

The passing of Maritzburg United winger Mondli Cele last season really took a toll on players at the club and it affected the team’s performance on the pitch, skipper Bevan Fransman (pictured) has admitted.

Despite that, the club still managed to finish inside the top half of the table.

This season, the Team of Choice have managed to improve their performance and they find themselves occupying third spot on the league table with 38 points, just five points behind log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, who have 43 points.

On top of that, Maritzburg are in the race for the Nedbank Cup, with the team set to take on Bloemfontein Celtic in the quarterfinals at the Harry Gwala Stadium on Saturday.

Fransman wants to see the club reach the final.

“Mondli’s passing was something hard to take, for a young man to pass like that took us by surprise and [we were shocked]. If you weren’t affected by that, I think you would be inhuman. So, there had to be a period where we would go on a slump ... it is a pity ours took a little bit longer,” said Fransman.

“But what was good is that we weren’t conceding a lot of goals during that period. I think we have pulled ourselves together now and we are in a good position ... credit must go to the young guys.

“I would like to go to the final and hope our guys experience this because we are a very young team and they have put in a lot of effort this year.”

The United skipper said Celtic had been playing well, but the team who wanted to win at all costs would be the one who got through to the semifinals.

“I think they have been playing some good football and the coaches really got them going. But Cup competitions bring a very different element and whoever wants it the most on the day will win.”