Truter sees added grit in Tinkler’s City ahead of MTN8 semi

Brandon Truter believes there is an added steel to Cape Town City with Eric Tinkler at the helm, as he prepares his Moroka Swallows side for a trip to the Mother City in Sunday’s MTN8 semifinal, first leg at Athlone Stadium.

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Tinkler took over for a second spell in charge of City at the end of May, and they have started well, downing AmaZulu in the MTN8 quarterfinals and picking up four points from their first two DStv Premiership games.

The Birds are in a similar position, having knocked Orlando Pirates out of the MTN8, and beating Royal AM in their first league match before drawing with AmaZulu in midweek. As such, this semifinal between two in-form teams promises plenty of thrills and spills.

It is the extra grit in the City side this season in which Truter has noticed Tinkler’s impact, however.

“Eric Tinkler has brought a bit of steel, a bit of bite in the team, he had that in the way he played,” said Truter on his opposite number, who was, of course, a feisty midfielder for club and country.

“You could see it against AmaZulu (in the quarterfinals) In the 50/50s City were dominant … in midfield the personality of the coach is much more evident. But you can still see the patterns of play they had with the previous coach, the (usual) City philosophy and playing structure.”

Swallows, meanwhile, are looking to build on an excellent first season on their return to the top flight, where they only lost two Premiership matches, though there were also far too many draws.

In their previous incarnation, Swallows did win the MTN8 in 2012, on the way picking up an enthralling 6-5 aggregate win over Mamelodi Sundowns in the semifinals.

“Personally it would mean a lot (to win the MTN8) but for the supporters and the banner of Swallows it would mean even more,” added Truter.

“Certainly from where we came from and how we got here … 2012 was a long time ago, now we are writing a new chapter. This is our second season (back in the top flight) and we should be winning things. But we still have to get to the final and past a tricky opponent in City. Let’s get past the semifinal first.”