Johannesburg - Brandon Truter wasn’t a sore loser after Sekhukhune United lost in the Nedbank Cup final. Instead, he is confident they have laid a solid foundation for the future.
Minnows Sekhukhune were expected to live up to the “David v Goliath” mantra when they clashed with local giants Orlando Pirates on Saturday.
But is wasn’t to be. Pirates proved their prowess on the night as they beat Sekhukhune 2-1 to bag their second trophy of the season – having already won the MTN8.
The underdogs had landed the first punch via Sibusiso Vilakazi’s early strike before Pirates replied courtesy of Tapelo Xoki and Terrence Dzvukamanja.
Nonetheless, Babina Noko were not overly downcast after the final whistle as they drew positives from the campaign, having also qualified for the MTN8 and Caf Confederation Cup next season.
“I am extremely proud of the boys for the strides made this season. So much accolade and achievement - I can’t be bitter about this result,” Truter said.
“I am sure we’ll be in the finals with the progression we made in the team. Other than that, you wake with expectations in the morning and the day will end with experiences. So, we’ll take that.”
A win on the night, though, would have been regarded as some salvation for Truter who had unsuccessful stints at AmaZulu and Swallows FC before grabbing the bull by the horns at Sekhukhune.
Truter was sacked by both Swallows and AmaZulu for poor results despite leading the latter to the MTN8 semi-finals.
But the Capetonian is a firmer believer that the time will come where he’ll bask in the glory of silverware.
“I wouldn’t like to speak about myself (alone). I would like to say I surround myself with people who are good – experts in the conditioning, sport scientists and analysis,” Truter said.
“So, it’s not only about me. My faith also carried me. So yeah, God didn’t give me this one. But I learned from it. I am sure he’ll give me another one and we’ll learn from it.”
And while Truter’s time to win trophies remains to be seen, Sekhukhune’s qualification for the MTN8 and Confederation
Cup means they’ll play in four tournaments next season, including the Premiership and Carling Cup.
Truter says they want to compete all round although they must plan properly and guard against the fate of Marumo Gallants, who were relegated despite reaching in the Confederation Cup semis.
“Having a winning mentality, I would like to challenge myself on all fronts. (But) of course, we must look at what Marumo went through this season,” Truter said.
“They played so well in Caf, but their domestic form suffered. We must be mindful of that. But we also must be mindful of the squad sizing as well – in terms of quality and quantity.
“With the club only in their second season in the PSL, we must choose our battles carefully. We have a status to protect in terms of what happened to Marumo.”
@MihlaliBaleka