Magesi on brink of greatness after historic semifinal

Magesi coach Clinton Larsen feels it will be a massive achievement for his side should they beat Richards Bay and progress to the Carling Knockout final.

Dikwena tša Meetse reached the semifinal of the competition after beating struggling TS Galaxy 1-0 at Mbombela Stadium on Sunday, with Lehlogonolo Mokone scoring the only goal before halftime.

They are now a match away from reaching their maiden final after they were promoted to the Betway Premiership and will travel to King Zwelithini Stadium on Saturday (3pm) to face Bay in the semifinal.

“Nobody gave a chance to the team against [Orlando] Pirates [in the last 16] and now we are talking about going into the final,” Larsen told Sowetan yesterday.

“That will be a massive achievement for the club if we can get past Richards Bay and we are just happy to be where we are.”

Larsen also feels their impressive run in the cup competition has also boosted their confidence to show the same in league matches.

“Even before the cup we were doing well in the league, but it did boost the confidence and the belief within the team,” he said.

“It is six games unbeaten, now they start to believe more in themselves which is something positive.

“To play the calibre of teams we have played, Pirates, Cape Town City, Kaizer Chiefs and TS Galaxy; these are good teams and also clubs that are established. So, I am proud of the effort and the performance the players are giving us.

“I'm not surprised that people are not giving us a chance because we are the new boys – inexperienced, not big names.

“So, it's normal for people not to give us a chance, but we get on with our work quietly, [as] the technical team we try to improve our players and our team."

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