Milford coach issues stern warning to Pirates

Milford FC head coach Xanti Pupuma has fired a warning shot to Orlando Pirates after his team was pitted against the defending champions in the Carling Knockout Cup round of 16.

The newly promoted outfit suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Buccaneers in the opening match of the 2026/27 Betway Premiership campaign, falling to goals from Oswin Appollis and Tshepang Moremi.

However, the Stallions have since established themselves in the topflight division, keeping pace with the upper echelon of the league as they sit fifth with 12 points accumulated in eight outings.

Pupuma is optimistic that his charges will give Pirates a run for their money, citing confidence and swift adaptation to the demands of the lucrative Betway Premiership.

“We're kind of getting used to it, hopefully we get to fix the mistakes we made against them when we played our first game,” said the Milford mentor, who is also the club owner.

"And one thing for sure is that they find us in a different space, we are a little bit more confident, we are used to the system, we are used to the league, the pace, and hopefully we really go there and give them a game.

Having previously caused an upset by eliminating Kaizer Chiefs in the Nedbank Cup round of 32 in February 2024, before reaching the semi-final last season, Milford look to draw inspiration from the historic cup runs.

“I'm hoping that the experience that we gained in the Nedbank Cup in the previous seasons will help us and try to progress in this cup because cup games are different from the league, you only have one chance,” Pupuma added.

"The games tend to be open and hopefully we can use the experience that we gained last season when we went all the way up to the semi-final of the Nedbank and use it in this competition.

Milford return to action with a Betway Premiership clash against Golden Arrows in what will be a KwaZulu-Natal derby, with bragging rights on the line at King Zwelithini Stadium tomorrow.

Hlayisani Magoro

Editorfr, en

Football journalist from South Africa covering African football news, exclusive stories and key events while sharing insights with passionate fans of the game.

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Milford FC

Orlando Pirates