Well-travelled coach Clinton Larsen has hit back at his doubters following Magesi FC's historical Carling Knockout triumph that was sealed with a 2-1 victory over Mamelodi Sundowns in the final.
Dikwena tša Meetse made history when they became the first club to win the Carling Knockout in their first seasons of elite division, defeating Sundowns against all odds at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
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For Larsen, it was yet another underdog story, having already beaten the Tshwane giants back in the 2012 Telkom Knockout Cup final whilst at the helm of Bloemfontein Celtic.
Speaking to media after the latest achievement that has come with its fair share of spotlight on the unassuming tactician, Larsen took a moment to address those who doubted the capabilities of his side.
"Déjà vu, isn't it? In 2012 with Celtic, nobody gave us a chance. We did it, and it was a fairy-tale story," a cheeky Larsen said.
"People were talking about 4-, 5-, 6-0, but I was quietly confident that our team could be a lot more competitive than that.
"Going to the game, the first half, the intention was... We knew we were going to see probably 30 to 35 percent of the ball. But we aimed to go to the break without conceding, which didn't happen.
"At half-time, we had to change things. People may ask why you didn't start that way in the second half. I saw Golden Arrows starting that way, I saw SuperSport United start that way and Marumo Gallants from the top - look at what happened there.
"So, we knew it was the right approach and we had some very good chances on the break to catch them, but it wasn't to be," he explains.
Larsen says in the second half they had to come out and be brave by playing a little bit more instead of defending.
"What is very rewarding and makes coaches feel happy is when you work on something at training and it comes to fruition in a game. And the two goals were from the training ground and I'm so happy for the players for executing it."
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Magesi will now take on the Carling All Stars - a squad of players voted for by the fans, for Carling Cup honours.
That match will be played at Orlando Stadium on 21 December.