Bloemfontein Celtic are looking forward to their MultiChoice Diski Challenge quarterfinal clash against Mpumalanga Black Aces, their coach Lehlohonolo Seema said.
Celtic finished top of Group A with 14 points while Aces took the fourth spot in Group B. The two sides will play their quarterfinal on Sunday at the King Zwelithini Stadium in Umlazi, Durban.
“We had started with our preparations when the fixtures were postponed to a later date, which is the 1st of February. We were already preparing for the 18th (January).
“We went to Lesotho to play the league champions Bantu FC, the boys played in front of a capacity crowd at the National Stadium and they managed to win 3-0,” Seema revealed.
The Bloemfontein side had an impressive run in the group stage, where they scored 15 goals – the second highest tally. Their most memorable clash was the 8-0 drubbing they handed to Moroka Swallows in the second round.
“It’s baby steps, the only challenge I have is to keep the boys’ feet on the ground. They mustn’t think that they have arrived because there’s still a long way to go. They are still far from becoming good and perfect players. So it’s a learning curve for me as a young coach and for them as young players,” the coach continued.
Celtic also hosted the national Under-17 team (Amajita) in a friendly match which they drew 1-1, to continue their good preparations for the Diski Challenge knockout clash.
Aces started the competition on a high, scoring six goals in their first two matches. They edged Chippa United 3-2 before playing to a 3-all draw against Bidvest Wits. Seema is aware of the danger their opponents pose going into their encounter.
“They are one of the good and strong teams, we’ve been watching them of course. Now were are going to prepare specifically for them, because we were just watching and not preparing for them since they were in the other group.
“But now we have to go and pull out their clips in order to prepare well for the match. So that we can manage to get to the semifinals - which will be good for the brand, the club and the supporters, as well as the players.”
The Siwelele youngsters registered four wins in their seven matches, including winning 1-0 against Kaizer Chiefs, who they were neck-and-neck with at the time for the top spot.
BIGGER STAGE
The boys’ performance impressed Seema, which makes him to be pleased with his squad.
“I still have some few places left, so I’m working on the new guys that have been there. Nobody has been registered yet but obviously there will be new faces and hopefully that will strengthen the team. We are happy to give the youngsters the chance to play in the bigger stage again.”
The former Celtic, Orlando Pirates and Lesotho captain also mentioned that as much as he will still pass the same message to the players, they have to double their efforts now that it’s the knockout round.
“I said to the boys that whatever they’ve been doing we must just continue with it. That is working hard, listening to the instructions, keeping our structure and making sure that whatever happens on the day – we take it and do not despair.
“It’s not going to be an easy game, we know this one is a knockout, it’s once off. So it’s going to be a tough one, we are preparing for a tough game,” Seema concluded.
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