Strong technical team sees Casric flourish
High-flying minnows ready to take on Chiefs in cup
Casric Stars midfielder Mumuni Abubakar says the coaching trio of Bucs Mthombeni, Paulus Masehe and Thabo Nthethe has been the main reason for their early success in the Motsepe Foundation Championship.
Casric started the season as a newly formed team after the acquisition of the status of Free State Stars. The club is now based in KwaMhlanga in Mpumalanga.
Under the guidance of co-owner and coach Mthombeni, assistant coach Masehe and performance manager Nthethe, the team has established itself in the NFD. Casric is currently on top of the Championship with 36 points after 17 games played.
Abubakar, who has been one of the stand-out players, has credited the technical team for the side's good form.
“Our results tell it all; combining those three has been helping a lot. They have been guiding us on and off the pitch, to be good human beings and athletes. They have been playing a vital role in our success so far," said Abubakar when speaking to the media this week.
With the team in pole position in the second-tier NFD, they have set their sights on getting promotion to the Premiership.
“Our ambition is one; we are here for the league. Whatever comes our way, we’ll take each game as it comes and then we’ll see at the end of the season," Abubakar said.
Casric like many other teams in the NFD gets little to no TV broadcasting compared to Premiership and DStv Diski Challenge clubs. That is set to change in a big way after Casric was drawn against Kaizer Chiefs in the Nedbank Cup last-16 round.
“It’s kind of a blessing to play against Chiefs because it'll be live on TV. So far we have only had the opportunity to play one live game, so playing against Chiefs will give us the exposure to excel and tell the whole nation who Casric is. We are going to give them a run for their money; we promise on that one. We are very motivated,” he said.
Meanwhile, Casric this weekend will focus on the league business when they travel to TTM on Saturday at the Petrus Molemela Stadium (3pm).
NFD fixtures (all times 3pm):
Today: Uthongathi v Cape Town Spurs, Princess Magogo Stadium.
Tomorrow: TTM v Casric Stars, Petrus Molemela Stadium; Magesi v JDR Stars, Old Peter Mokaba Stadium; Pretoria Caillies v Platinum City Rover, Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium; Baroka v Venda, Baroka Village.
Sunday: All Stars v Pretoria University, Soshanguve Giant Stadium; Black Leopards v Polokwane City, Malamulele Stadium.