Trinitarians head coach Charles ‘Charlie’ Jaftha (pictured second from left) believes the change of venue from The Greens in Manenberg to Elsbury Park in Matroosfontein, is just the rub of the green they need to win a maiden Nedbank Cup Regional title.
Trinnies welcome Lonn Van Graan’s Jomos Power to Elsbury Park on Saturday (15:30) that is just a stone’s throw away from their actual Uitsig Park home ground for the Nedbank Cup showdown.
The last the Northerns-based reached a final of this cup competition was in 2022 under the guidance of hen Zaahier Simons and Louis Blakenberg where they lost out to Greenwood Athletic.
And according to Jaftha there are early signs that they can go all the way this time and they need to cash in and show they are ready for the big stage.
“This venue is like another home for us,” Jaftha boasted to No Bones with Jones. “So, we will try and take full advantage of the venue. We also urge our supporters and those living in the area to come out in their numbers and support us as we are playing on their doorstep now,” he added.
Meanwhile Jaftha conceded the pressure will be on from the get-go to repeat last season’s heroics when they ended as runner-up to the eventual winners, Diadora FC in the league.
“It’s going to be a long nine months,” Japhta further elaborated. “Every game, whether it is in the league, will be a cup encounter for us, you know. We know it won’t be easy to repeat our performance of last season and there will definitely be added pressure this time round on the players and the technical staff, but if we build on what we have put in place, then we can overcome any hurdle,” he added.
What made Trinnies’ onslaught on the league title so remarkable is that their squad consisted of several youngsters who were thrown in at the deep end, and needless to say, they surprised many.
According to Japtha, they have gone a similar route when hunting for new talent.
“We have about four to five new players, but half of the squad consists of youngsters who have only played in tournaments like the Bayhill and the Engen.
“But we are confident in their ability. We’ll take this cup competition seriously. We learnt some lessons in our first season together and are fully aware it will be more difficult this season,” Japhta concluded.
