After dumping Premiership sides AmaZulu and Orlando Pirates out of the Nedbank Cup, Casric Stars head coach Joseph "Bucs" Mthombeni reveals the team's fast-growing popularity.
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When people talk about ‘things changing overnight’, they may as well be referring to the rise of Casric Stars, the Motsepe Foundation Championship team that has amassed a surge in popularity en route to the 2026 Nedbank Cup semi-finals.
The Mpumalanga team will travel to face Durban City in the Nedbank Cup semi-final at Chatsworth Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with a 3pm kick-off. It is their second Durban trip of the campaign, having eliminated AmaZulu in the quarter-finals at Moses Mabhida Stadium last month.
It is the sheer size of their Durban entourage compared to the first trip that highlights their recent resurgence.
“People now love Casric; I can tell you now, we’ve got about five buses — in fact, almost 10 buses — going to Durban, but when we went to play AmaZulu, we had only one. The fan base has grown,” said club coach Bucs Mthombeni.
“The team has grown since beating Orlando Pirates in the last 16. Before we beat Pirates, we had fewer than 10 branches, and now we have over 15, (this means) a high number of (new) supporters. Wherever you go now, people are asking, ‘Who are Casric?’ That challenges the players and also helps to recruit sponsors.”
It is not only off-field growth that has been brought about by their giant-slaying escapades; on the pitch, things are also going well.
“Beating AmaZulu and Pirates has brought love, unity, and excitement to the players. I think we are united like never before; the players are together (United), they are friends, and there is healthy competition. Everyone is now committed, and the discipline is better than before,” assured Mthombeni, before adding:
“I just tell them to focus, stick to the game plan, and remember that we are here because of their good fight and commitment. We are not going to change our style of play now — no! We are going to go there, stick to our plan, and chase a place in the final. We want to reach the final.”
And with all of that, there has to be adjustments to their ambitions.
“Definitely now, the objective has changed. We are here in the semi-final and we are going to try to fight for both promotion and the cup,” said Mthombeni, whose side are fourth in the Championship table, two points behind leaders Milford FC and Kruger United, who have 40 points apiece.