MILFORD FC chairman and coach Xanti Pupuma bowed at the feet of Stellenbosch FC after his team was on the wrong side of a 6-1 drubbing in the Nedbank Cup.
On Friday, the Stallions from KwaZulu-Natal were outrun, outperformed and outclassed by DStv Premiership side Stellies at the Princess Magogo Stadium in a Round of 16 clash.
Having beaten Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs in the previous round of the competition, interest in Milford’s Nedbank Cup journey skyrocketed as they prepared to take on Western Cape-based outfit Stellies.
However, whatever dreams the ABC Motsepe League side had harboured were knocked out of sight as Stellenbosch laid a beating on them before eliminating them from the tournament.
Iqraam Rayners surprisingly failed to get his name on the score sheet but was the main protagonist in the onslaught as he walked away the player of the match, having recorded four assists on the night.
Speaking to the media after the game, Pupuma admitted having been defeated by a far superior opposition, and even made comparisons to the difference between Stellies and Chiefs.
“They broke us, they found the lines, we trained the whole week trying to close those windows but they found them and that happens, it’s football. They showed their class and we have to accept that and not doubt the work that we’ve put in,” he said.
“When you play a lower (division) team, because we do play lower division teams as well but if they can hold on for a certain period, it gets frustrating for you as the so-called senior team and then you start panicking and make mistakes, which makes it more difficult for them to score, that worked for us at FNB.
“They (Stellies) scored in the first half and then scored a second goal, which really took us off and we lost our confidence, we scored and came back but they quickly showed us that ‘no!’ they are a class above us.
“Their plan really worked and that was the difference between here (Princess Magogo) and FNB. Had (Ashley) Du Preez scored in the fourth minute that shot that hit the post, maybe it would’ve been a different result, they then went on to miss the penalty because they were panicking and we knew that.”
Milford is currently embroiled in a tight relegation scrap in the second tier and is battling to save their lives.
Pupuma said his side is aiming to first save their status before vying for top honours next campaign.
“Why would we be in the division if the aim was not to win the league, even this season we had targeted a top-three place or roundabout there, but that hasn’t worked,” he said
“We learnt a lot this season, especially the younger players and I expect them to really stamp their authority next season... and if they can play well then we can challenge for higher positions.”