Magesi coach Clinton Larsen has marked not only surprise cup success since returning to the top flight this season but also reached a personal milestone in his coaching career.
He has passed 300 matches as coach in the top flight as Magesi not only won the Carling Knockout but have also looked in solid form in their opening six matches of the Betway Premiership season.
Magesi’s come-from-behind 2-1 win over hot favourites Mamelodi Sundowns in Saturday’s final in Bloemfontein marked a 305th game as a top flight coach for Larsen, who began at Bloemfontein Celtic in 2010 and also worked at Maritzburg United, Lamontville Golden Arrows, Chippa United and Polokwane City.
It was also his 100th win as a coach
JOINING THE ELITE
The 53-year-old has joined an elite bunch of coaches with more than 300 matches on the bench, led by Gavin Hunt with record-breaking numbers.
SuperSport United’s trip to Gqeberha on Tuesday, where they take on Chippa United, is the 987th game that Hunt will have overseen.
The 60-year-old holds the South African record, which he set in 2019 when he went past Gordon Igesund’s total of 816 games on the bench.
There are two other coaches in this season’s Betway Premiership line up with more than 300 matches in charge:
Eric Tinkler, 54, is two away from reaching the 350-game mark. His 349th match as a top flight coach will come on Wednesday as Cape Town City hosts Polokwane City in the Betway Premiership and then 350 will be reached away against Golden Arrows on Sunday.
Tinkler began as a caretaker at Wits University and later Orlando Pirates, who he took to the African Confederation Cup final in 2015.
Manqoba Mngqithi passed the 300-mark when he was co-coach at Sundowns with Rulani Mokwena but was then downgraded to assistant coach in 2022.
The 53-year-old returned to the head coach job at Sundowns at the start of this season and has already taken charge of 16 games in the campaign, with the final against Magesi being his 317th encounter as a top flight coach.
A former school teacher, Mngqithi started his career at Arrows.
Stellenbosch coach Steve Barker is likely to be the next to get to 300 games as he sits on 285 ahead of Wednesday’s Confederation Cup group phase tie at Stade Malien in Bamako.
Of the coaches who are no longer working at top flight clubs, or serving as head coach, Jomo Sono is third in the list of all time in charge with 620 followed by Roger de Sa (582), Pitso Mosimane (581), Clive Barker (559), Steve Komphela (469) and Ernst Middendorp on 423.