Maritzburg want to put Nedbank Cup final behind them

Maritzburg United star Bandile Shandu was in the starting line-up that lost the Nedbank Cup final to Free State Stars in 2018 and he is likely to feature in the Telkom Knockout final against Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday evening.

READ: Maritzburg going to war against Sundowns – Buchanan

Shandu says the Team of Choice have learned from that experience and will try to do better against Masandawana.

“From the Nedbank Cup final you grow as a player and as a person and you know the mistakes that you have made. What matters is bouncing back from those mistakes and not allowing those things to happen again. From then and now I think I have grown, we have all grown at the club with that experience and that heartbreak,” said Shandu.

“It will be a different ball game this time around and as long as we are willing to work hard and we go the extra mile, we will definitely get a positive result,” Shandu added. The 24-year-old does admit that Sundowns seem to have the upper-hand based on their extensive experience on the continent and their championship winning experience.

“They have got loads of experience and quality players, they have a starting line-up on the bench and to match that we have to work harder than them. They are playing in the Caf Champions League, they have got a lot of games and they can rectify things easily because of the games that they play. To match all of that we just have to win individual battles and work very hard, that will be the big difference,” added Shandu.

“To win silverware as a team is more important. In the heat of the moment there are always scuffles but it is never something personal. As a team we will be truly happy to get silverware. We are going to work really hard to give our fans something to cheer about, they truly deserve it. From last season (when United battled relegation) they stuck by us. To give them silverware will mean a lot to them,” he stressed.

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