Rookies aim to leave a legacy

Chiefs won’t know what hit them – Abubakar

Sihle Ndebele Journalist
Mumuni Abubakar of Casric Stars FC.
Mumuni Abubakar of Casric Stars FC.
Image: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix

Well-travelled Casric Stars midfielder Mumuni Abubakar is convinced they have enough ammunition to upset Kaizer Chiefs in Sunday’s Nedbank Cup last 16 clash at FNB Stadium (6pm). 

“I think we’re ready to upset Chiefs. We are a new team but we gelled from the first game... it’s just magic. Our squad is strong enough to compete against Chiefs. We have been doing well in the league, so our confidence is high and we have the momentum,” Abubakar, who previously turned out for  Mamelodi Sundowns, Black Leopards, Stellenbosch and Richards Bay, among others, said. 

Casric are unbeaten in their last 15 outings across the Motsepe Foundation Championship and the Ke Yona Cup with an impressive 10 wins and five draws. They are third on the second-tier’s table and very much in the race for automatic promotion. Casric are a relatively new team after buying the status of Free State Stars at the start of the season.

Abubakar, 29, views the game against Amakhosi as a perfect opportunity for them to lay a foundation of how they’d want to be remembered as the first class of Casric stars players. The Ghanaian is also pleased that his younger and inexperienced teammates will taste such a big game, highlighting as the senior players they’ve always told stories to them as to how it feels to play such games. 

“We want to leave a legacy as the first crop of Casric players to achieve great things and winning against Chiefs would be a foundation of that legacy. We are not under any pressure but we are just enjoying the moment,” Abubakar said.

“We have a bunch of experienced players and talented youngsters. Each and every one of us is looking forward to this game because playing against Chiefs will expose our youngsters to many things. As senior players, we’ve been telling them how it is like to compete with the big boys, so now this is a chance for them to see what we’ve been preaching to them.”

Nedbank Cup Fixtures

Today: Sekhukhune v Spurs, Peter Mokaba Stadium, 7.30pm

Tomorrow: Chippa v Home Defenders, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, 3pm; Arrows v Royal, Princess Magogo Stadium, 3pm; Pirates v VFA, Orlando, 8pm

Sunday: Galaxy v Stellenbosch, Mbombela, 3pm; Chiefs v Casric Stars, FNB, 6pm.

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