After leading his club to the MTN8 Final this season, coach Owen da Gama will hope to see Highlands Park replicate that form in the Nedbank Cup, with the Gauteng-based club set to face Kaizer Chiefs in the next round of the competition.
Following their 2-0 win over GladAfrica Championship side Uthongathi FC in the Last 32, the Lions of the North have been drawn to host Amakhosi in the next round of the prestigious competition.
Da Gama led the Lions of the North to the final of the MTN8, where they narrowly lost to SuperSport United 1-0 in October.
Good news for the former South African U23 coach is that the club has plans to extend his contract further, despite the fact that the team struggled with poor form in their league campaign at the beginning of this year.
Highlands Park co-chairman Brad Kaftel confirmed, as reported in edition 1160 of Soccer Laduma, the club's plans regarding the future of the coach.
"During these times, the coach needs our support. That's what he needs to see, that we are behind him. The players need to see that we are behind him, and we are. I've spoken to Owen and he's got our complete support. You know what, I have no doubt that he will bounce back," said Kaftel.
"I'm hoping that Owen will sign a new contract. I'm hoping that at this time next year, we will extend his contract. At this stage, I have no doubt that Owen will bounce back and we'll be fine, and come January next year… 2021, he'll have six months to go. We must sit down and talk, and we will look to try and extend his contract for at least another three years. That's our plan as we speak," the club boss said.
The Lions of the North will look at their 1-0 win over Baroka in their most recent league match as a motivation on course to returning to form, with the team preparing for this coming weekend's league clash against Bloemfontein Celtic on Saturday.
