Pogiso Sanoka admits that victory over Kaizer Chiefs this past weekend is a huge shot in the arm for Maritzburg United, but the versatile defender acknowledges that the Telkom Knockout semi-final win is now history as they shift focus to the league.
The Team of Choice host SuperSport United in an Absa Premiership encounter at the Harry Gwala Stadium in Pietermaritzburg on Wednesday night with confidence at an all-time high.
They are the talk of South Africa and not just the town following that outstanding result and performance, but Sanoka says it is history.
Sanoka’s comments are exactly what coach Eric Tinkler has been preaching since that famous 2-1 win, one of the greatest in United’s history, that was achieved at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.
The 27-year-old says that it is a message that the coach passed on to them immediately after the clash with Chiefs.
Speaking after the win over Chiefs, Tinkler on several instances post-game made the point that they had to quickly move on from the Amakhosi result to try and build on their recent good performances in the league.
The Team of Choice are presently eighth on the table with 13 points from 10 matches. That puts them four adrift of Matsatsantsa, who have also played a game more than them.
After playing the Tshwane side, they must still play four games through a busy December, including the Telkom Knockout final versus Mamelodi Sundowns. Tinkler reiterated that it was an important period for the KwaZulu-Natal outfit.
SuperSport have already won one cup competition this season. They lifted the MTN8 crown back in September and are progressing nicely in the league thus far with just two losses in the entire campaign. But United themselves are on a role.
They are bidding to stretch their unbeaten run to nine matches across all competitions. However, Sanoka feels they will be up against it when Matsatsantsa comes to the City of Choice on Wednesday. – Report by Thahir Asmal
