Greenwood Athletic has left many wondering what’s cooking in Retreat as their approach this season is rather low-key and hush-hush.
But judging by their success in Safa Cape Town’s Nedbank Cup competition it makes sense now as to why coach Lionel Miller has been so subdued.
Needless to say, it was also sweet revenge for Miller and Co after he steered his side to an emphatic 3-0 Nedbank Cup victory over Silver Spurs at the NY116 Sports Complex on Wednesday to secure another Nedbank title
Miller, who also served in a third final, lost his first encounter to Silver Spurs a couple of seasons ago and subsequently beat Young Pirates 4-0 to go on to win the Nedbank RTD title where they eventually lost to Magic FC to qualify for the last 32 teams where the latter was drawn against Kaizer Chiefs.
Pony, as Miller is called, has again delivered the goods for the Green Machine showing again that he is no one-trick pony.
Miller explained to No Bones with Jones: “First of all, credit to Silver Spurs on getting to the final and we could see why they were playing there. They are a very difficult team to break down…but at the end of the day there could be only one winner. Our guys put in a lot of hard work over the past few months and they deserve all the praise with their attitudes and determination,” Miller added.
Miller is now preparing his side for the regional playoffs where the winner will face Vasco da Gama who won their maiden Nedbank title for the ABC Motsepe League sides.
According to the Greenwood mentor managing his (young) squad accordingly and finding the balance between the under and overs will be key as there is still their bread and butter, the league.
“The downfall of this tournament is the fixtures are so congested that you have to look at injuries and fatigue,” Miller further stated. “We have a great bunch of under-21 players and they have been working extra hard alongside our senior guys who have been balancing out and paving the path for the youngsters.
“Yes we have the Nedbank Cup but the season is still very long and we have to shift our mind over to the league now, everyone is looking forward to the league but we just have to take it one game at a time. We focussed on our unders and worked hard in every position. Our juniors had a very good season.
“With that said we have quite a few of our own unders and a few other good ones from surrounding areas. We worked hard on areas we were lacking and some of our work showed now over the weekend, but we still stay humble and work harder, because football can be very cruel.
So, we will take each game as it comes because as you know, every game is a final – a great mention to our supporters who came out every time to support us, thank you…you guys make a massive difference and push us even more,” Miller concluded.
Photo: Supplied
