Tried and tested Baroka defender Matome Mathiane has lauded the arrival of coach Dan "Dance" Malesela as the game-changer for Bakgaga, who’ve now gone nine games without a defeat.
Malesela, who arrived at Baroka early October, is yet to taste defeat at the club with five wins and two draws. He found the club having played two draws in their previous two outings. At the weekend, Baroka showed their promotion credentials by beating Motsepe Foundation Championship leaders Orbit College 1-0 away.
“I think the arrival of coach Dan is what really changed our fortunes. Before his arrival, we were conceding at an alarming rate but since his arrival we are tighter at the back because we’ve worked more on our defensive approach in our sessions. He has also done wonders in mentoring the inexperienced guys at the club because he's like a father,” Mathiane told Sowetan yesterday.
The former Golden Arrows skipper also highlighted the impact of their experienced rearguard that include him and the likes of former Marumo Gallants defender Tebogo Nonyane and erstwhile SuperSport United goalkeeper Boalefa Pule among others.
“If you look at our back four, it’s made up of seasoned campaigners... it’s people who’ve played in the Premiership for many, many years... myself, Nonyane, [Ananias] Gebhardt and even our keeper Pule, so this experience has also helped the team a big deal.”
The 35-year-old centre-half also thinks their ability to deploy different approaches set them apart from other teams in the division, underlining the importance of their win over Orbit.
“We have all the qualities needed in the NFD because we are a multifunctional team... we can play long balls and we also can play short passes in small spaces and that also sets us apart from other teams, especially because most teams here only rely on long balls,” Mathiane said.
“Before the Orbit game, I told the gents [his teammates] that if we can’t beat the leaders then we must just forget about promotion. I think beating Orbit was proof that we can do it... we have what it takes to win this league and go back to the Premiership.”
Results
Upington 1-0 Milford; AmaTuks 2-1 Rovers; Lions 1-3 Magesi; Leopards 1-1 Venda; Marumo 4-2 Callies; Orbit 0-1 Baroka; JDR 2-2 Casric; La Masia 0-0 Maritzburg
Mathiane hails Malesela for Baroka’s form
‘The arrival of coach Dan is what really changed our fortunes’
Image: Matome Mathiane
Tried and tested Baroka defender Matome Mathiane has lauded the arrival of coach Dan "Dance" Malesela as the game-changer for Bakgaga, who’ve now gone nine games without a defeat.
Malesela, who arrived at Baroka early October, is yet to taste defeat at the club with five wins and two draws. He found the club having played two draws in their previous two outings. At the weekend, Baroka showed their promotion credentials by beating Motsepe Foundation Championship leaders Orbit College 1-0 away.
“I think the arrival of coach Dan is what really changed our fortunes. Before his arrival, we were conceding at an alarming rate but since his arrival we are tighter at the back because we’ve worked more on our defensive approach in our sessions. He has also done wonders in mentoring the inexperienced guys at the club because he's like a father,” Mathiane told Sowetan yesterday.
The former Golden Arrows skipper also highlighted the impact of their experienced rearguard that include him and the likes of former Marumo Gallants defender Tebogo Nonyane and erstwhile SuperSport United goalkeeper Boalefa Pule among others.
“If you look at our back four, it’s made up of seasoned campaigners... it’s people who’ve played in the Premiership for many, many years... myself, Nonyane, [Ananias] Gebhardt and even our keeper Pule, so this experience has also helped the team a big deal.”
The 35-year-old centre-half also thinks their ability to deploy different approaches set them apart from other teams in the division, underlining the importance of their win over Orbit.
“We have all the qualities needed in the NFD because we are a multifunctional team... we can play long balls and we also can play short passes in small spaces and that also sets us apart from other teams, especially because most teams here only rely on long balls,” Mathiane said.
“Before the Orbit game, I told the gents [his teammates] that if we can’t beat the leaders then we must just forget about promotion. I think beating Orbit was proof that we can do it... we have what it takes to win this league and go back to the Premiership.”
Results
Upington 1-0 Milford; AmaTuks 2-1 Rovers; Lions 1-3 Magesi; Leopards 1-1 Venda; Marumo 4-2 Callies; Orbit 0-1 Baroka; JDR 2-2 Casric; La Masia 0-0 Maritzburg
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