TS Galaxy aim for Durban City in the battle of the underdogs in the Nedbank Cup final

Long dubbed the “underdogs’ tournament”, this season’s Nedbank Cup will go down in the Premier Soccer League history books as one of the most memorable.

The knockout rounds were dominated by the smaller sides to the point that even as late as the semi-finals, there was hope of seeing two Motsepe Foundation Championship (MFC) teams in the final.

The MFC teams, Mpumalanga-based Casric Stars and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) side Milford FC, slew some Betway Premiership giants during the knockout stages before they themselves were knocked out in the semis by Durban City and TS Galaxy.

Coincidentally, City and Galaxy are based in KZN and Mpumalanga respectively, which carried the potential of a provincial derby final — a rare occurrence for any province other than Gauteng.

However, the “underdogs’ tournament” tag remained appropriate for both Galaxy and City, who are in the list of the less-fancied Premiership sides.

There is more to the story: Galaxy’s decision to release coach Adnan Berganovic from his duties after an 11-game winless run saw the reins handed to former Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana striker Bernard Parker.

This is Parker’s first opportunity coaching in the top-tier ranks. On the opposite bench to Parker in the final at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday night (6pm kick-off) will sit another underdog coach, Pitso Dladla. For Dladla, too, it is the first time leading a team in the top tier of South African football.

What Parker lacks in coaching experience, he will surely make up for with the wealth of experience gained playing under different coaches during his long international career.

On the other side, what Dladla lacks in professional playing experience, he makes up for with the coaching expertise he has acquired over the years, which includes promoting Uthongathi FC to the First Division and City to the Premiership.

Parker said at Galaxy’s press conference on Tuesday: “I think the universe designed it. It’s by God’s grace. Nobody expected that I would be in this situation – it came as a shock. People expected something different regarding who should be in charge for the Nedbank Cup final.”

Galaxy will be looking for their second Nedbank Cup title, while City will be looking for their first, having lost a final to the now-defunct Free State Stars a few years ago.