Milford FC ready to test progress against Orlando Pirates in Carling Knockout

Milford FC coach Xanti Pupuma says their Carling Knockout last-16 tie against defending champions Orlando Pirates will show how much his team has developed since winning promotion to the Betway Premiership.

The KwaZulu-Natal club began their league campaign with a 2-0 defeat by Pirates, but Pupuma believes Milford have since become more confident and better adjusted to the demands of top-flight football.

He also expects to have a stronger squad available for the cup meeting, which could give the newcomers a better chance of challenging the Buccaneers.

“Hopefully we’ve learned our lessons from the previous game, and fortunately for us, we will have a ripple effect. Already in the first game, we had a few players out, so we had to adjust a few things. I’m not saying it would have made a difference, but now we’re going into this game full force.

“We have adjusted to the division, and I think we are in a better space than we were in the first game, so hopefully, we give them a run for their money,” said Pupuma.

Milford have already shown their ability to compete in knockout football. Last season, while playing in the Motsepe Foundation Championship, they reached the Nedbank Cup semi-finals for the first time in the club’s history.

Their run ended with defeat by TS Galaxy, but Pupuma believes the experience of that campaign will benefit his players as they prepare for another demanding cup fixture.

He accepts that knockout matches require a different approach from league games, although Milford’s early-season form suggests they will enter the tie with confidence.

The Stallions are fifth in the Betway Premiership after eight matches, with three wins, three draws and two defeats. Their willingness to take on established top-flight opponents has been a defining feature of their promising start as newcomers to the division.

Pupuma says Milford will not abandon the approach that has brought them success when domestic competition resumes following the FIFA international break.

The break did disrupt the team’s momentum, according to the coach, but it also allowed several injured players to move closer to returning to full fitness.

Milford will first face Golden Arrows in a KwaZulu-Natal derby when league action resumes. They will then switch their focus to the Carling Knockout meeting with Pirates.

Although Pupuma jokingly described the international window as an extended interruption, he remains confident that Milford can quickly regain their rhythm and build on the performances that carried them into the break.