Bucs Mthombeni, Casric Stars’ head coach and co-owner, has clarified where his focus lies as the club juggles the race for automatic promotion to the Betway Premiership and their Nedbank Cup ambitions.
The Mpumalanga-based outfit is currently enjoying a fairytale campaign, remaining within touching distance of both the Motsepe Foundation Championship title and a historic Nedbank Cup triumph.
Under the guidance of Mthombeni, Casric has emerged as one of the most captivating teams to watch in the 2025/26 season, characterised by an entertaining brand of football. Casric currently occupy fourth position on the log with 38 points, having registered 10 wins, eight draws, and four defeats across 22 fixtures.
The title race is set to go down to the wire, with Casric trailing leaders Milford FC [40 points] and second-placed Kruger United [40 points] by a mere two points. Hungry Lions sit just a point ahead of Casric in third with 39 points, underlining the wide-open nature of the promotion battle.
In addition to their top-flight aspirations, Casric has carved out a giant-killing path to the Nedbank Cup semi-finals. Their journey to the last four has been nothing short of remarkable, claiming the scalps of heavyweights such as Orlando Pirates and AmaZulu FC.
Casric will look to maintain their momentum and secure a spot in the final when they travel to Chatsworth Stadium on Saturday – today to face Durban City FC with kickoff set for 15:00 CAT.
MTHOMBENI REVEALS THAT PROMOTION TO THE ELITE LEAGUE IS THE MAIN OBJECTIVE FOR CASRIC
With the club juggling two competitions at the crucial stage of the season, Bucs Mthombeni has revealed that the main priority is gaining promotion to the Premiership.
“We are here now, and in football you cannot choose games, you need to take the games as they come and prepare for every game differently,” Mthombeni said.
“The players have committed themselves. They are working so hard, and they understand that we need to achieve. I think we can’t really choose, but we know that our main objective is the league. I believe that each and every coach wants to gain promotion.
“But now we have only one game to the final of the Nedbank Cup, we have to try to push and go to the final, but with the league, we are also left with eight games. We’re going to have to fight to make sure that we close the gap between us and number one.”
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