Maritzburg United coach Eric Tinkler believes teenage striker Bongokuhle Hlongwane needs no further motivation than to look back at how the past week has worked out for him.
The 19-year-old has been the talk of the town in Pietermaritzburg since his stellar performance against Stellenbosch FC last week when he hit a brace and grabbed an assist when the Team of Choice demolished the Cape side 3-0 at the Harry Gwala Stadium last Friday.
Tinkler expects Hlongwane to do the same if he gives the youngster an opportunity against Polokwane City in the KwaZulu-Natal capital on Friday night.
That Absa Premiership win over Stellenbosch helped United climb to fourth on the table, a position they subsequently relinquished after SuperSport United also won last weekend.
But they have a chance to make a return to the top four if they can overcome Rise and Shine, who are fighting against relegation at the other end of the table.
Tinkler is hoping his team can continue where they left off tomorrow night and continue making progress in what has been a wonderful season thus far.
United’s current accumulated total of 36 points is already impressive, considering there are still seven matches of the 2019/20 campaign remaining.
They are only eight points shy of their record 44-point haul achieved two seasons back when they ended fourth.
Tinkler says the focus for now, though, remains on taking each game as it comes, before they can even look at records and more positional gains on the table.
– Report by Thahir Asmal
