Cape Town City coach Eric Tinkler says Khanyisa Mayo’s absence provides an opportunity for other players to step up.
Mayo is currently a three-match suspension for the red card he received in the dying minutes of the 1-0 defeat to Stellenbosch on Friday.
He is the DStv Premiership’s joint top goalscorer, along with Mamelodi Sundowns striker Lucas Ribeiro Costa, with seven goals.
Mayo will miss City’s final two DStv Premiership games of the year, against Mamelodi Sundowns and Cape Town Spurs.
Tinkler told iDiski Times: “There’s nothing, I can do about it. I can’t be worried about [whether] Mayo is not available, Mayo is suspended, that’s just the situation we find ourselves in. It’s about the other players stepping up.
“You’ve got Jo Paciencia, needs to now step, you’ve got Luke Daniels, who needs to step up, you can’t be reliant on one person.
“As a team, we’ve never been relying on one person, everybody needs to contribute. Everybody needs to perform and when you get enough opportunity like Jo has, like Luke has, you got to grab it with both hands.
“So, players need to take that responsibility.”