Maritzburg United coach Fadlu Davids believes that Cape Town Spurs’ experience could be a stumbling block for his side when the two sides lock horns in the latest PSL promotion play-off fixture on Saturday at Athlone Stadium.
Kick-off is at 3:00pm (SA, GMT+)
Both Spurs and Martizburg commenced their PSL Promotion bid off on the right foot with their respective victories over Casric Stars.
For the Urban Warriors, coach Shaun Bartlett and company travelled to the Solomon Mahlangu Stadium last Sunday, where they recorded a 1-0 victory over Casric Stars.
In enduring pressure from the home team throughout the first-half, Spurs sprung to life in the second 45 where they often outplayed their opponents in search of goal scoring opportunities. The Urban Warriors took the lead in the 67th minute, as Ashley Cupido found himself in the right place at the right time to guide home Jarrod Moroole’s miscued shot inside the penalty area.
Reflecting on the victory, Bartlett mentioned that Spurs could have scored a couple more goals and that in fixtures of this nature, tactics often go out the window.
“We were persevering, pushing in the last 20 minutes and we could have gotten a second or third goal,” Bartlett said.
“The way we played, the fighting spirit all over the park from the players, those are the things that will count a lot.
“Sometimes with these games, it’s not so much about the tactics, it’s about the attitude and willingness to win games. For the next three games, we are going to have to show that and match what we did [against Casric Stars].
Sitting at the top of the promotion play-off table, with a slender goal difference advantage of just one goal, Maritzburg United go into their next tie on the back of a 2-0 win over Casric Stars.
The Team of Choice showcased their PSL pedigree in dominating play by having up to 62 per cent ball possession throughout the encounter, while creating the majority of goal scoring chances in the process.
Rowan Human’s long range effort opened the scoring in the 27th minute, which happened to be his first goal of the 2022/23 campaign. In capping off a swift counter-attacking move, Human doubled his side’s tally in the 41st minute with a calm finish inside the Casric area.
Despite the victory, Davids lamented his side’s inability to kill off the game, while mentioning that Spurs will provide a tricky test in the form of an experienced defensive unit.
“I’m really disappointed not to kill off the game like I expected the players to do,” Davids said.
“The two-zero at halftime, the possibilities were there (to score more), the crowd was behind us, we really had good passage of play to be able to score, but kicking the ball against our own player.
“These are things we really need an honest and clear conversation to change before we face Cape Town Spurs.
“Spurs has an experienced players and some of our former players such as Clayton Daniels, Michael Morton, Nazeer Ali and Jarrod Moroole has the NFD experienced, so they have an experienced players who knows how to defend with really clear structure.”