Off the back of progressing to the last eight of the Nedbank Cup by beating troubled Premiership outfit Moroka Swallows, University of Pretoria coach Tlisane Motaung has insisted they had enough arsenal to juggle their promotion quest and the Ke Yona Cup.
AmaTuks, who are second on the Motsepe Foundation Championship table with 38 points, one behind leaders Magesi after 21 games, beat Swallows 2-1 in the last 16 tie at Tuks Stadium on Wednesday.
Thabang Sibanyoni scored the winner in the 92nd minute. Tebogo Mohlamonyane had put AmaTuks ahead just two minutes before the hour mark but his strike was cancelled out by Lwanda Mbanja in the 79th minute.
"We are not worried that progressing in the Nedbank Cup might derail our plans in the league. We must make sure that everyone maximises the opportunities given to them,'' Motaung said after the game.
"We will concentrate on one game at a time. We signed enough players [to juggle the Nedbank and their promotion chase]. We have 35 players. We don't need to panic. Everyone will get his minutes. Yes, rotating the team might temper with our style of play here and there but it's our responsibility as the technical team to manage these types of things.''
Motaung couldn't stop raving about the character his troops showed against the Birds' "tried and tested personnel".
"Credit to the boys. It wasn't easy because Swallows are a good team with a lot of experienced players. The boys showed resilience even when we conceded, they never panicked because they knew that we would score the winner any moment,'' the AmaTuks mentor said.
Meanwhile, Swallows coach Musa Nyatama conceded that they just didn't come to the party, pointing fingers at their front three for lack of creativity. Swallows' three attackers were Letsie Koapeng, Jacobs Everson and Mbanjwa.
"Our front three were flat today, to be honest with you. We didn't create enough scoring opportunities. Letsie and Jacobs were flat today. It's one of those games but we will soldier on and focus on the league,'' Nyatama said.
Coach heaped praises on his team after beating Swallows
We have enough players to juggle both league, cup – Motaung
Image: VELI NHLAPO
Off the back of progressing to the last eight of the Nedbank Cup by beating troubled Premiership outfit Moroka Swallows, University of Pretoria coach Tlisane Motaung has insisted they had enough arsenal to juggle their promotion quest and the Ke Yona Cup.
AmaTuks, who are second on the Motsepe Foundation Championship table with 38 points, one behind leaders Magesi after 21 games, beat Swallows 2-1 in the last 16 tie at Tuks Stadium on Wednesday.
Thabang Sibanyoni scored the winner in the 92nd minute. Tebogo Mohlamonyane had put AmaTuks ahead just two minutes before the hour mark but his strike was cancelled out by Lwanda Mbanja in the 79th minute.
"We are not worried that progressing in the Nedbank Cup might derail our plans in the league. We must make sure that everyone maximises the opportunities given to them,'' Motaung said after the game.
"We will concentrate on one game at a time. We signed enough players [to juggle the Nedbank and their promotion chase]. We have 35 players. We don't need to panic. Everyone will get his minutes. Yes, rotating the team might temper with our style of play here and there but it's our responsibility as the technical team to manage these types of things.''
Motaung couldn't stop raving about the character his troops showed against the Birds' "tried and tested personnel".
"Credit to the boys. It wasn't easy because Swallows are a good team with a lot of experienced players. The boys showed resilience even when we conceded, they never panicked because they knew that we would score the winner any moment,'' the AmaTuks mentor said.
Meanwhile, Swallows coach Musa Nyatama conceded that they just didn't come to the party, pointing fingers at their front three for lack of creativity. Swallows' three attackers were Letsie Koapeng, Jacobs Everson and Mbanjwa.
"Our front three were flat today, to be honest with you. We didn't create enough scoring opportunities. Letsie and Jacobs were flat today. It's one of those games but we will soldier on and focus on the league,'' Nyatama said.
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