Milford owner-coach Xanti Pupuma has had an eventful last few days as his side upset heavily fancied Sekhukhune United in the Nedbank Cup quarterfinal last Saturday and then drew 2-2 away at Cape Town City on Tuesday in a top-of-the-table clash in the Motsepe Foundation Championship.
Milford were also drawn away against TS Galaxy in the Nedbank Cup semifinal when the draw was conducted on Monday. That tie will be played on the first weekend of April.
Pupuma spoke to supersport.com in the wake of the thrilling draw with City at the Athlone Stadium, which left the Richards Bay-based club still one point ahead in the promotion race.
WHAT DID YOU MAKE OF THE DRAW AGAINST CAPE TOWN CITY?
“A tough game was expected, playing away and coming off from the 120 minutes of the Nedbank Cup. I thought we handled it well. We had a little bit of lapses of concentration in the first half but overall, I was happy with the control.
"We know how they play. So we came with the plan, and it went well. Unfortunately, we had a few of my boys cramping and one or two injuries, but it's something that we’ll address.”
WERE YOU WORRIED THAT THE EXERTION AFTER THE NEDBANK CUP TIE PLUS THE TRAVEL WOULD COST YOU?
“It is a concern because Wednesday we're travelling to Nelspruit (to face Kruger United at the weekend). So that's also going to be a challenge. So maybe we might have to call some boys from Richards Bay to join us there, just to add the numbers. I’m just concerned how long it's going to take to recover from the muscle spasms. The rest, it's part of the game, so we will see how we perform.”
ARE YOU PREDICTING A THRILLING FINISH TO THE PROMOTION RACE? DO YOU THINK IT'S GOING TO GO RIGHT DOWN TO THE WIRE?
“Most definitely. I think the top five teams, apart from being well organised, are very, very competitive. So I think you're always going to try and win your home games and get whatever you get from away. It's going to get really tough in April, but I think by game 28, it should be done.”
HOW DO YOU BALANCE STILL BEING IN THE NEDBANK CUP AND THE PROMOTION RACE?
“This one is a bit unfortunate because we played away in the Nedbank Cup, and we couldn't go back to Richards Bay to prepare the squad. But we do have a big squad.
"We've got 32 players and unfortunately, we had to travel from Johannesburg to Cape Town, which is why we ended up with, like, 19 players. But we will call up some players that will let us supplement where we are short. For very important games coming one after the other. But it’s a tough balancing act.
"After we play Kruger United, it’s Baroka, then after Baroka, it's the Nedbank Cup semifinal, then after that, it's really tough, but we're going to have to find a way, like I said. I just have to trust the boys and see how it plays out. Maybe we're going to have to wait and see which games we can balance the team out a bit.”
ARE YOU DISAPPOINTED THAT YOU GOT ANOTHER AWAY GAME IN THE SEMIFINAL?
“Yes, definitely. Definitely, yeah, especially because we're playing a home game on the Wednesday after that (against fellow promotion chasers Casric Stars). So it's a bit of a stretch. But we don't mind, Johannesburg is not that far. I'm hoping they're going to play in Pretoria. So it's not really a strain for us coming from Richards Bay, and it's just a one-hour flight.”
WHAT IS THE PRIORITY, WIN PROMOTION OR THE CUP?
“We haven’t won anything. We haven't gained promotion to the PSL. The aim is always to get to the PSL. The Nedbank Cup is just a bonus. Obviously, it's good for the players as there's more exposure with the Nedbank Cup.
"So they get to enjoy the attention, but I think everybody knows that the focus is trying to get promoted. So if we can achieve that for us, that would be the biggest achievement.
"Not even winning the Nedbank Cup would be better, although it would be nice from the players’ point of view, but overall, what we want is promotion. We don't want to win the cup and still be playing in the NFD.”
IF YOU GET A PROMOTION, ARE YOU AS AN OWNER GOING BACK TO THE STANDS AND GETTING YOURSELF A COACH?
“Yeah, definitely. Definitely, definitely go back. Even now, I wanted to go back, but because we'd started the process and the boys are quite used to me, and they are close to me. And we had a preseason together, so it's a bit difficult now. I thought, ‘Let’s finish the season, see where it goes, and then we will see next season’.”