Strike pair spells danger for FS Stars

The combination of Bradley Grobler and loan star Mxolisi Macuphu (right) is one that has so far impressed SuperSport United coach Kaitano Tembo. Although it has been Macuphu who has been scoring the goals ahead of Grobler, having netted three in four league games for United, Tembo insists his duo will carry the team in the season’s run-in.

“Mxolisi’s combination with Bradley has made a huge difference. I think those are the two players who most defenders would not want to face because they are strong and they complement each other very well. When he (Macuphu) arrived we knew that we wanted to go from playing with one striker – we changed to two strikers because we found the right combination with Bradley and it has really worked for us,” said Tembo, seemingly sending a warning shot to a struggling Free State Stars side, who Matsatsantsa face on Sunday at the Lucas Moripe Stadium.

However, Tembo seems to be singing from the same hymn book as Cape Town City coach Benni McCarthy and Orlando Pirates’ Micho Sredojevic, insisting that they are not to be considered title contenders but will “take it one game at a time”.

“We are always going to take it game by game. That is important and that is what we want to try and focus on. If you look at it, some teams at the top are dropping points. Those who want to get into the top eight are also dropping points and at the bottom (it is happening) as well. This league is very unpredictable,” said Tembo.

“You saw what happened after we beat Orlando Pirates, we lost to Baroka FC. Anyone can beat anyone and the most important thing is to focus on our game. The unfortunate part is that we will miss Aubrey Modiba who got his fourth yellow card against Chippa United but what is important for us is to concentrate on our performances on a daily basis and be consistent.”