Magesi FC coach Clinton Larsen has compared their historic Carling Knockout Cup run to Bloemfontein Celtic’s Telkom Knockout triumph in 2012.
Larsen was in charge when Celtic shocked Mamelodi Sundowns with a 1-0 win in the final at a packed Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. It was the coach’s first silverware of his career, with Joel Mogorosi scoring the winning goal for Phunya Sele Sele.
The 53-year-old Larsen is now in charge of a Magesi side that has made history by reaching their first semi-final in their debut season in the SA elite league.
They progressed to the semi-finals after beating Soweto giants Orlando Pirates in the first round at Orlando Pirates and TS Galaxy in the quarter-final, also away from home.
WHY THE CARLING KNOCKOUT RUN REMINDS CLINTON LARSEN OF 2012 TRIUMPH
Addressing the media before the semi-final clash against Richards Bay FC on Saturday, 9 November, at the King Zwelithini Stadium at 3PM, Larsen said the current cup run reminds him of 2012.
“If you are in a cup competition, it’s all about dreaming,” said Larsen. “As I said, when I was at Celtic, nobody gave us a chance to beat [Orlando] Pirates in the quarter-finals, beat Free State Stars in the semi-finals, and beat Sundowns in the final back in 2012.
“I am in a similar position where nobody gives us a chance from day one with Pirates. Let’s be honest, even you guys [the media], nobody gave us a chance,” he added.
MAGESI FC TO GIVE ALL THEY HAVE AS THEY TAKE ON RICHARDS BAY IN THE SEMI-FINALS
“So we are where we are now, and I am happy for the club. All we are going to keep doing is go to every game and give an honest performance. We are a team that makes a lot of mistakes; we are not the best team in the league, and we know that.
“But we are going to fight tooth and nail in every game that we play, and sometimes that’s enough to win football matches.”
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