Margeman motivated by failure to make Afcon cut

SuperSport United midfielder Grant Margeman wants to use the disappointment of missing out on the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) with Bafana Bafana as a motivation to do well when the DStv Premiership resumes next week.

Margeman was part of the provisional squad for the Afcon but failed to make into the final squad. While he admits that he was disappointed, he promised to do even better to be called up again for Bafana's future matches.

"Yeah, I need to give my all for the team to make sure that I do well again and even better," Margeman told Sowetan yesterday.

"I was disappointed that I didn't make it to the Afcon squad. Everyone who doesn't make the final squad will be disappointed. But the players who are there deserve it. They're fantastic.

"So, this is a motivation to make sure that I keep on working hard. I mean, all is not lost. There are still World Cup qualifiers coming and I need to make sure I get a call-up.

"The plan now is to put in the performances consistently and when the call-up comes again, I put up my hand and go and help the team."

Margeman, 25, has been consistent for Matsatsantsa a Pitori, having featured 22 times across all competitions this season. But he feels he can still improve and help the club to achieve its target.

SuperSport will resume their DStv Premiership matches with a home match against Sekhukhune United on February 13.

"Things have been going well. We are in a good position on the log [third with 38 points] now and we plan to get better. We are looking forward to the resumption of the league," he said.

"We need to make sure that we finish as high as we can because last season we finished third. We need to go one further and we still have the Nedbank Cup to play for.

"So, we must go all the way and make sure we qualify for CAF competitions to compete at a higher level again."