Davids wary of Tinkler’s United
THEY’RE A FANTASTIC SIDE WITH A CUP PEDIGREE Maritzburg mentor hopes his boys won’t get carried away.
Maritzburg United have had a perfect start to the 2017/18 season, winning all three of their matches so far without conceding, but Fadlu Davids is worried his young players might get carried away.
Davids got his coaching career off to a stunning start when he guided the Team of Choice to an unlikely win over Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN8 and followed that with two Absa Premiership wins over Platinum Stars and Ajax Cape Town.
“It’s only been two games and it is very important to remember that,” said Davids after the 2-0 win over Ajax on Wednesday night.
“There were moments where we were slightly careless,” he added. “But that’s normal with young players. They get a little carried away. They will improve and mature with time.”
Davids hopes to keep his perfect record going when they play SuperSport United in the MTN8 semifinal, first leg at Lucas Moripe Stadium tonight (8.15pm).
“We need to keep our feet on the ground and have our full focus on the match. SuperSport have a cup pedigree. They are a fantastic side.
“They have won a few cups while we have never even played in a cup final. We are going there as underdogs,” said the 36-yearold mentor.
In Eric Tinkler Matsatsantsa have a coach who proved his pedigree when he guided Cape Town City to a Telkom Knockout triumph and third-place finish in the league last season.
Tinkler said playing two-leg matches was always tricky especially if you start at home. “The home leg is the most important. We need to get the result. Win 1-0 or if lucky 2-0 and take that result to the away leg. Having home advantage can make or break you. If you score and keep a clean sheet it works well but if you concede it works against you,” said Tinkler.
The coach admitted that Maritzburg would be the toughest match they have played so far.
“This is going to be our hardest match. They come here after some good results. The brand of football they play is quite good,” he said.