After failing to win any of their first four league games in the Betway Premiership’s new season, Magesi FC may be hurt “for now”, but it’s not all over, according to Abel “The Lip” Rakoma, the club’s media liaison officer.
Rakoma spoke ahead of the club’s upcoming league match at home against AmaZulu, scheduled for Saturday at Seshego Stadium outside Polokwane in Limpopo.
“It is a fact that we have been experiencing some challenges in terms of bringing forth the positive results in our first four league matches, and we are not blaming anyone for that other than bad luck because our players are putting their best effort,” said Rakoma.
The match against Usuthu at the 15 000-capacity venue will be Dikwena tsa Metse’s second clash this season after their 2-0 loss to Mamelodi Sundowns a week ago.
Positive results anticipated soon
The new season so far has been challenging for Magesi, who are coached by John Maduka, scoring only two goals and conceding five in the process.
“The technical team has been collaborating with players to enhance these areas, and we anticipate positive results soon.
“As much as it is still early in the season, we can’t run away from the fact that every point dropped and every goal scored will count against us at the end of the season,” said the former South African Football Association regional administrator.
Magesi, who currently sits in 15th place on the log with two points, is hurt going into Saturday’s game after suffering two straight losses: a 2–0 loss at home against Mamelodi Sundowns on August 20 and a narrow 2–1 loss away to Golden Arrows on August 27.
Their other two matches ended in 0-0 and 1-1 draws away to Polokwane City in the league’s opening match and Stellenbosch FC, respectively.
AmaZulu have an advantage
Under Arthur “10111” Zwane’s mentorship, AmaZulu, on the other hand, has had a slightly better start this season after two wins, one loss, and one draw in their opening four matches.
As much as the strikers have done well after scoring three goals in all four matches, AmaZulu will have to improve their defence, which has conceded three goals in the process.
The sixth-place KwaZulu-Natal team, with seven points, was playing at its peak on Wednesday night when they held Sekhukhune United, the leaders of the log, to a 1-1 draw away at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.
Their other three matches ended in a set of 1-0 to Marumo Gallants and Orbit College, respectively, before they lost 2-0 to Sundowns.
Previous results against Magesi show that AmaZulu have an advantage over Dikwena tsa Metse, having defeated them 3-0 and 1-0 in league matches last season.
