Coach’s fine farewell

I’M HAPPY WITH THE SEND-OFF, IT WENT THE WAY WE WANTED SuperSport have had the whip-hand over Bucs all season.

It was a bittersweet moment for SuperSport United as they successfully defended their Nedbank Cup with a glorious 4-1 drubbing of Orlando Pirates at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday night.

The match was the last for the club’s coach Stuart Baxter who will now be a full-time Bafana Bafana coach.

Asked how he would want to be remembered, Baxter said that would depend on what the chairman of the club says when he asks him if he was worth the money they spent on him during his short stay.

“My father once told me that I should ask the chairman of the club if the money they spent on me was worth it and if he says yes, then that is how I want to be remembered,” he said.

It was a hard week for Baxter as he had to control his feelings to avoid putting pressure on his team. Instead he instilled in them that they needed to do it for the team and themselves.

“I think we did well to control our emotions. I am very grateful for the performance of the players. I am happy with the sendoff, it went the way we wanted.”

Baxter said the team can only improve from what he has done under new coach Eric Tinkler.

“I think the team can improve in every area we worked on. It is like in life, you never stand still, you either improve or get worse. This season I said to turn it into a great one we need to win something and they did it today,” said Baxter.

In his time with Matsatsantsa, Baxter has not only beaten the Buccaneers four times in a row but he has done so in style.

Baxter first guided the Tshwane team to a 3-2 win over Bucs in the Ke Yona final last year. He followed that up with a 6-1 league thrashing. A 2-1 league win followed before Saturday’s 4-1 win.

“There is no secret to it,” said Baxter. “We don’t have a matching formula that we whip up every time we play Pirates.

“I think we dominated this one more than the 6-1 where mistakes on a wet pitch allowed us to capitalise. We knew that if we were disciplined enough and stoic in transition we would get them.”