Richards Bay coach Brandon Truter has embraced the club’s increasing pressure to deliver a first-ever top-flight trophy ahead of their Carling Knockout Cup quarter-final.
The Natal Rich Boyz will renew their ambitions for silverware when they welcome Cape Town City to the King Zwelithini Stadium in uMlazi tomorrow (3pm kick-off).
The KwaZulu-Natal outfit have raised the bar in terms of expectations ahead of the 2024/2025 season, with fresh investment coming into the club.
The arrival of Phakwe Gas as sponsors has invigorated trophy hopes not only in the Richards Bay area, but the entire community at large.
Following a busy pre-season period that saw the arrival of new faces in both the playing personnel and the technical team, Richards Bay have made a slightly below-par start to the campaign, given their 12th-place spot on the Premiership standings.
However, their upcoming cup battles with the Cityzens present them with the opportunity to not only raise their confidence levels, but also work their way into the history books by delivering a maiden top-flight trophy.
The closest the club have come to a trophy in their three seasons in the top-flight was last season, when they were eliminated from the semi-final stage of the Carling Knockout.
Speaking to the media at the Umhlathuze Sports Complex yesterday, Truter welcomed the challenge posed to him by the club’s management.
“The chairman made it clear for us that if there’s any possibility of a cup, then he would like a trophy this season – and the Carling Cup represents that opportunity,” he said.
He further added: “The Carling Cup is the first one of the season, so once you’re in a cup, you need to be in it to win it, and that’s what we’re doing.
“The pressure that comes with that, alongside the pressure of being the only KZN team remaining, is also an opportunity for growth. We’re a young team mixed with mature heads, so all of this pressure, we welcome it.”
📸 Gearing up for 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗼𝘂𝘁 Quarter-Final 🏃♂️🏋♂️💪 #NatalRichBoyZ pic.twitter.com/2Feyo7HC5E
— Richards Bay FC (@RichardsBayFC_) October 31, 2024
Truter’s men have struggled for goals, having scored just twice (via set-pieces) in their seven matches in all competitions this season.
They come up against a City side still reeling from a 3-0 thumping at the hands of Mamelodi Sundowns on Wednesday, and have shown a vulnerability defensively at times.
When quizzed about the possibility of taking advantage of their bruised ego, Truter refused to view them as an ailing team, but rather looked to fix his side’s main issues.
“City are a good team. They just happened to face Sundowns in their own backyard, and if you look at their line, they rested a few players as well – so they have one eye on this competition, and they’ve come to KZN and picked up points recently,” he said.
“If they are vulnerable against us, it will present a good chance for us.
“But they’ll also test us with their speed. But if we fix our mistakes from the last game, the conceding of minor goals, we’ll be a formidable team.”