‘No One Is Here To Win The League’: Pupuma Addresses Milford’s Surprising Top-Four Surge
Milford coach Xanti Pupuma has acknowledged that his side have made an impressive start to the season but insists their focus remains on accumulating points rather than dreaming of a title challenge.
Milford, who secured top-flight promotion via the PSL promotional playoffs last season, moved up to fourth following a 1-0 KwaZulu-Natal derby victory over Golden Arrows at King Zwelithini Stadium on Saturday.
Siphosethu Ndlabi sprinted clear to beat Thakasani Mbanjwa at his near post in the 71st minute, handing Pupuma’s team their first away win of the campaign.
The victory leaves Milford in fourth place with 15 points from nine matches—just four points adrift of third-placed AmaZulu.
Pupuma emphasized that hitting the ground running was always central to the club’s strategy.
“No one is here to win the league,” Pupuma said with a smile after the game.
“I mean, we have had a good start. The aim and the plan were to have a good start, and fortunately for us, things have gone the way we would have hoped.
“Hopefully, we can continue ticking the boxes that we wanted to tick and see where we are in December. Hopefully, we will be in a place where we don’t desperately need points in the second round because it gets tougher.”
Milford may well be benefiting from an element of surprise, with opponents yet to fully figure them out—a trend reminiscent of Richards Bay during their maiden 2022/23 top-flight campaign.
In that season, which was interrupted by the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the Natal Rich Boys surprisingly soared to second place before the break. However, the Natal Rich Boys struggled in the second half of the campaign—winning just one match after the tournament—and ultimately relied on those early-season points to survive relegation.
Pupuma, however, believes Milford’s performances reflect the players’ ability rather than an unexpected run of form.
“I might sound like I’m being arrogant, full of myself, when I say I’m surprised by how we have played. I really think the players are doing what they are capable of. The team will continue because it has been together for some time,” he added.
Pupuma said Milford would continue focusing on collecting as many points as possible, while drawing lessons from the experiences of other newly promoted teams.
“Hopefully, we have learnt from situations like this,” Pupuma said when asked about Richards Bay’s start to their maiden top-flight season four years ago.
“Having fought relegation ourselves in the first season in the Motsepe Foundation Championship, we know what to do in the break when you start the second half of the season. For now, we are trying to accumulate as many points as possible. We know the target that we think should be safe.
“If we can get there by December, which is quite possible, that would take pressure off my shoulders as well. Maybe I can go back to the office and leave it to others to run the team.”
