While Sakala promised to show respect to the tournament‚ he added that it would not be a train smash if Baroka are knocked out in the early stages of the cup competition.
“My honest view is that we are not going to focus on the Nedbank Cup because of our position on the log‚” he said.
“We will be professional in our approach to all the matches but if we get knocked out it will not be a train smash.
“I am here to save this club from relegation and that is what we will be focusing on in the coming months.
“While I was at Mpumalanga Black Aces some years ago‚ we were in a similar situation and I told club bosses that we must forget about the Nedbank Cup and that move helped us to improve our position on the log.”
Sakala was roped in as coach of the Limpopo side earlier this month.
He replaced inexperienced Kgoloko Thobejane a few weeks ago after Baroka finished the first round sitting at the bottom of the log with just 12 points from 15 matches.
Baroka have a proud history in this tournament having famously claimed the scalps of PSL sides Moroka Swallows and Kaizer Chiefs en route the semi-final in 2011 while they were still campaigning in the third division.
Last year‚ while they were still playing in the National First Division (NFD)‚ Baroka repeated the feat of reaching the semi-final stage where they lost to SuperSport United at Lucas Moripe Stadium.
Baroka overcame tough opponents in the form of Chippa United‚ Golden Arrows and Polokwane City.
Sakala also added that he was happy with the cooperation from Thoobejane and technical director Mark Harrison as they continue to plot Baroka’s survival strategy.
“We are working very hard behind the scenes and we will learn from each other for the benefit of the club.
“The relationship is very good between us and I am happy that the supporters have welcomed me very well‚” he said – TMG Digital
