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Tinkler concentrating on league progress

Cape Town - Maritzburg United coach Eric Tinkler revealed he is focused primarily on the Absa Premiership form despite the club's progress in the Nedbank Cup.

They advanced to the round of 16 after a penalty shoot-out win over Stellenbosch on Friday but face two tricky Premiership fixtures against Wits and Kaizer Chiefs in the coming week.

"My priority has always been the league and we want to ensure that we finish well in the league, we have 10 very tough games coming up in the league and I felt that in this game we have to be cautious," he said, speaking of the Nedbank Cup clash.

"I made seven changes; to blame the players for the performance would be harsh.

"It has obviously been in my thoughts because the league is very important for us. Yes we have done well, yes we are away from that bottom group but it is not for that reason, it is more for targets and objectives that I have set myself and us as a team have set and these 10 games are very important, especially the next two.

"So, we want to make sure that when we go to Wits, we collect something, when we go to Chiefs, we collect something."

The Team of Choice are currently sixth in the Premiership and are 18 points behind pacesetters Kaizer Chiefs but need to maintain good form in order to keep their place in the top eight.

However, some might question the logic in making the cup competitions a secondary priority as it is the only real chance the club has at grabbing silverware this season.

- TeamTalk Media

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