Platinum Stars captain, Vuyo Mere, says that the club’s senior players, himself included, must stand up and be counted against Orlando Pirates in the MTN8 final.

Dikwena face Pirates at Moses Mabhida Stadium tonight as they look to win their first piece of silverware since they won the Telkom Knockout in 2006.

Allan Freese’s side have been in impressive form in the tournament so far, scoring nine goals in three games, and beating Wits 6-3 on aggregate in the semi-finals.
 

Experienced veterans such as Mere, Benson Mhlongo, Patrick Malokase and Elias Ngwepe have been crucial until now in the tournament and the club’s captain says that they need to continue helping the younger players.

Speaking to the Siya crew the 29-year-old said, “We’re called senior players in the team so this is the time to earn our stripes.

"We’ve experienced glory with other teams where we had older players to help us cope with the high standards and demands, so it’s only fair to give the younger crop of players the opportunity to taste that glory with this team. We need to play our part.”

In Stars last game, away at Wits, the experience of Mere and Mhlongo was plain to see and the Soccer-Laduma stats allow a closer at their influence.

Mere:
Possession gained: 24
Amount of distributions: 63
Successful distributions: 58%
Ball retentions percentage: 62.5%

Mhlongo:
Possession gained: 33
Amount of distributions: 47
Successful distributions: 51%
Ball retentions percentage: 53.19%

No doubt Mere, Mhlongo and Malokase will be crucial in tonight’s encounter with the Buccaneers and coupled with the youth and form of Mogakolodi Ngele and Siphelele Mthembu, the Phokeng-based outfit will be quietly confident that they can get a result.