Milford coach Xanti Pupuma has expressed his satisfaction after his side pulled off a major upset by eliminating Sekhukhune United from the Nedbank Cup.
Milford held their nerve to knock out the Limpopo-based side, winning 3-2 on penalties after a tightly contested match at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday to secure a place in the semi-finals of the Ke Yona Cup.
It is the first time that Milford FC have reached the last four of the competition, although the club has previously produced cup shocks, including eliminating Kaizer Chiefs.
“Who wouldn’t be happy about reaching the semi-finals of any cup competition?” said Pupuma.
“There are teams playing in the PSL, and for us to move into the last four is great. It’s great for the brand.
“It’s also great for the players because they get to showcase their talent a little more. For the coach, it can be a bit frustrating because it creates a headache, but that’s football.”
The Nedbank Cup semi-final draw will take place on Monday night.
However, Milford’s cup success comes at a crucial stage of their push for promotion to the Betway Premiership from the Motsepe Foundation Championship.
Milford have since been replaced at the top of the Championship standings by Kruger United, who have played one more match and sit on 37 points after 20 games.
Milford are now second on 36 points from 19 matches and face a crucial encounter against promotion rivals Cape Town City FC, who are currently third, on Tuesday.
Pupuma admitted that balancing their cup run with their league ambitions has created a selection dilemma.
“The challenge with that question is how you tell players not to give everything in a game,” he said.
“You can’t say, ‘Let’s just show up today, we don’t have to win this because we need to focus on the league.’ If you do that, they won’t take the next games seriously.
“So within the Milford setup, every game is important. We play to win every match, and whatever happens afterwards we deal with it when it comes.
“I believe that God will not give me something I cannot handle. Somehow I will find a way to deal with it.
“We have a fairly big squad and we have been rotating players between league and cup matches, which allows other players to get game time.
“Our approach will not change now that we are in the semi-finals. The league remains the priority, but we will still give enough in the cup to try and win it.”
