Eric Tinkler not impressed by PSL fixture schedule as Sekhukhune United refocus after MTN8 exit ahead of AmaZulu clash

Sekhukhune United are ready to bounce back from their MTN8 exit, turning their focus to the upcoming Betway Premiership clash against AmaZulu at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium on Wednesday (7.30pm kick-off).

With a perfect record of three wins from three matches, Babina Noko are now fully focused on their league campaign, following a 3-1 aggregate loss to Stellenbosch FC in the MTN8 semi-final.

Coming up against an unpredictable and dangerous Usuthu side that has started the season fairly well, Eric Tinkler and his men know the task will not be easy, despite having beaten the KwaZulu-Natal outfit in both legs last season.

While the early-season tournament exit would have stung, Tinkler believes his players performed respectably across the two fixtures and are ready to refocus on the league, even amid a packed schedule.

“I have to pick them up, because we don’t have time to fix things,” Tinkler said.

“Eight games in the space of four weeks—it’s more about recovery. We are making the players aware that we want to do well in the league; we have started really well, and we need to take the positives from the game against Stellenbosch.

“I do not think we performed poorly; I thought we made it difficult for them. We must just take those positives to the next game against AmaZulu.

“Again, it will be more video analysis with very little training time, because legs are tired; we have six games in the space of three weeks. I do not think you see this anywhere in the world.”

The team will also have to cope without captain Linda Mtambo, who missed the Stellenbosch clash over the weekend after he was injured in the league match against TS Galaxy. His absence, particularly given the impact he had early in the season, was felt in both legs.

“Linda is our captain, and he was actually doing well for us, but unfortunately he has a fractured ankle, so he will be out for at least the next three months.

“Everyone else did well; (Thabang) Monare and (Siphesihle) Mkhize did well against Stellies. I can’t fault the effort that everyone put in; the squad that we have needs to step up.”

The Limpopo-based outfit currently sits at the top of the table heading into their midweek match against Usuthu. While it might be tempting for Tinkler to entertain ambitions of going all the way, he remains cautious.

“We have had a very good start to the season,” he continued.

“The character that the team has shown in the first game against Galaxy has been extremely positive. The results we have achieved in the league are very positive, but we are going to stay in our lane and keep doing what we are doing.

“There are still a lot of things we can still get better at; I am not going to put the cart in front of the horse. There is still a lot of work to do, and we are here to try and compete in the top four, and that is our objective, the mandate that we have, and that is what we will try to do.”