Fadlu Davids on Nedbank Cup: ‘It’s a competition that still pains me’

Maritzburg United head coach Fadlu Davids has admitted he’s yet to get over the heartbreak of losing the Nedbank Cup final to Free State Stars in 2018.

It was the first cup final in the history of the Team of Choice and Davids was in charge of the then-youthful side.

Maritzburg will kick-off their Nedbank Cup campaign at home against Kaizer Chiefs on Friday, 10 February in what will be a sold-out affair.

Davids says they’re aiming to go as far as they can in the competition and will be looking to brush aside Amakhosi in the round of 32.

FADLU DAVIDS STILL HURTING OVER NEDBANK CUP FINAL LOSS

“It’s a competition that still pains me, losing in the final against Free State Stars,” Davids told the media.

“It’s a competition that gave the club its first cup final. I think two seasons later, they lost in the Telkom Knockout final as well.

“The club is elusive of silverware, there are clubs that are shorter in the PSL and have collected silverware already.

“So, it’s a big point for the chairman and the directors to achieve something with Maritzburg United, for the town Pietermaritzburg to achieve some silverware.

“But like I said, the mandate is clear, this season in the context of where we are in, it’s a game [against Kaizer Chiefs] we’ll try to win. 

“It’s a game we will use to gain momentum. It’s a game we will use to check the full potential of our squad, who’s able to perform in much extreme cup finals that are also coming, starting next week against Orlando Pirates.

“So, it’s a game we’ll go to win and of course, you only have to take it game by game. We are hurting over the last final, Nedbank Cup final, yes but that does not really play a role.

“We’ll just approach this match against Kaizer Chiefs Friday night, Harry Gwala to try to win. And we will see what comes next, so we are not thinking about anything further than that.”

The match will kick off at 19:30 at the Harry Gwala Stadium.

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