Thabo Johnson
Thabo Johnson
Resurgent Free State Stars continued their fine run in the Absa Premiership when they demolished defending league champions SuperSport United 4-1 at Goble Park Stadium at the weekend.
The defeat could hardly have been what United coach Gavin Hunt had bargained for, given his team's marvelous performance in beating Orlando Pirates 1-0 in a midweek encounter.
When Anthony Laffor cancelled out Sthembiso Ngcobo's opener on the stroke of half time, after capitalising on a mistake by goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene, the league winning coach was hopeful of collecting full points, if not at least sharing the spoils.
But things fell apart in the second stanza and the champions' defence was exposed.
Steve Komphela and Themba Sithole's warriors unleashed their best on the day, the red-hot Ngcobo scoring a brace with Siyabonga Mdluli and Tebelo Mofokeng each scoring a goal to paralyse United.
Hunt was so bemused after the game that he opted only to give a post-match interview to television, neglecting the print media.
Flamboyant Komphela reckoned they should have won by a bigger margin considering the numerous golden opportunities they squandered.
"We made it difficult for ourselves in the first half by giving the opposition the edge by conceding an easy goal. Concentration was the factor and we need to deal with that by making the players aware of the significance of focusing to ensure we attain our immediate goal," he said.
"Generally we are happy with the overall performance and are planning to continue working harder."
He attributes the team's dramatic turnaround to ongoing hard work and team effort.
The outcome has brought great relief to Stars' management and supporters alike.
Meanwhile, Maritzburg United eased their relegation woes somewhat when they clobbered league leaders Ajax Cape Town 2-0 at the Woodburn Stadium in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday.
The goals were scored by defender Gary Goldstone and Tony Tsabedze.
Stars expose SuperSport defence
Thabo Johnson
Thabo Johnson
Resurgent Free State Stars continued their fine run in the Absa Premiership when they demolished defending league champions SuperSport United 4-1 at Goble Park Stadium at the weekend.
The defeat could hardly have been what United coach Gavin Hunt had bargained for, given his team's marvelous performance in beating Orlando Pirates 1-0 in a midweek encounter.
When Anthony Laffor cancelled out Sthembiso Ngcobo's opener on the stroke of half time, after capitalising on a mistake by goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene, the league winning coach was hopeful of collecting full points, if not at least sharing the spoils.
But things fell apart in the second stanza and the champions' defence was exposed.
Steve Komphela and Themba Sithole's warriors unleashed their best on the day, the red-hot Ngcobo scoring a brace with Siyabonga Mdluli and Tebelo Mofokeng each scoring a goal to paralyse United.
Hunt was so bemused after the game that he opted only to give a post-match interview to television, neglecting the print media.
Flamboyant Komphela reckoned they should have won by a bigger margin considering the numerous golden opportunities they squandered.
"We made it difficult for ourselves in the first half by giving the opposition the edge by conceding an easy goal. Concentration was the factor and we need to deal with that by making the players aware of the significance of focusing to ensure we attain our immediate goal," he said.
"Generally we are happy with the overall performance and are planning to continue working harder."
He attributes the team's dramatic turnaround to ongoing hard work and team effort.
The outcome has brought great relief to Stars' management and supporters alike.
Meanwhile, Maritzburg United eased their relegation woes somewhat when they clobbered league leaders Ajax Cape Town 2-0 at the Woodburn Stadium in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday.
The goals were scored by defender Gary Goldstone and Tony Tsabedze.