Cape Town - Cape Town Spurs vice-captain Jarrod Moroole says the team is on a mission to consolidate their quest for Premiership promotion by emerging winners in tomorrow's PSL promotion/ relegation playoff match against Casric Stars at Athlone Stadium.
Moroole, a former Stellenbosch FC defensive midfielder, is one of the experienced hands in the Spurs team. He is also one of four former Maritzburg United players who sent the KwaZulu-Natal visitors packing with a win at Athlone Stadium over the weekend.
The other former players who once wore the colours of Maritzburg were Clayton Daniels, Michael Morton who scored the winner on Saturday - and Nazeer Ali.
It was a huge setback for Maritzburg in the three-team mini-league, and Moroole feels Spurs can inflict further damage by defeating Mpumalanga visitors Casric.
“It is a good time to increase our grip on the competition when we return to Athlone on Wednesday. We are looking for a third win, and that will send out a clear message to Maritzburg that we are in it to win it.
“We want to win because that will put pressure on Maritzburg. They play Casric Stars next weekend, and by that time they won't have much room for lapses.
“In the context of what we want to achieve, a win will be huge - huge for us as the players, huge for Cape Town and huge for the bosses. A win is of high importance.
“Three points on Wednesday will be a big plus for us. We are focused on the match and will be resilient.
“Every player will put their bodies on the line, and we'll leave nothing out there on the field.”
This will be the second time the two teams clash in the playoffs. In their first meeting, Spurs made heavy weather of a slender win at the Solomon Mahlangu Stadium in KwaMhlanga.
It was a strange match because Spurs dominated possession, but Casric had 14 shots at goal, against 10 from Spurs. However, none of Casric's shots were on target.
It will, nevertheless, be a concern for Spurs' technical staff and coach Shaun Bartlett since their side only managed one shot on target.
Bartlett is counting on the support of fans at the Athlone Stadium tomorrow. The Western Cape is currently freezing because of a cold snap, but Barlett feels if they pitch up in numbers, Spurs will turn on the heat on the field of play.
“It is another home game and an important one too,” said Bartlett.
“I am hoping that we can get the fans as well. It is going to be difficult because it is a midweek game. But we know they have always been the 12th man for the whole season.
“Once we play well, we go high on energy and intensity, and that is when our opponents can't handle us. That is how we have to play the game, and hopefully, we can repeat that on Wednesday.”
Spurs' final game in the playoffs will be against hosts Maritzburg next Saturday.
@Herman_Gibbs