Another agonising season for Satmos

CHIPPA LEGODIMO
Correspondent | Friday April 24, 2009 00:00

The Selebi-Phikwe side faltered badly in the contest for the First Division title and failed even to challenge for a spot in the play-offs for promotion to the top flight. It has been a turbulent season for Satmos, which started the campaign with a coaching crisis.

Matlhogonolo 'Paymaster' Dintwa who was appointed to mastermind the quest for promotion charge had differences with management and the two parties agreed after six games to part ways. Former goalkeeper, Mooketsi 'China'  Mading took over but said the damage had already been done and there was nothing much he could do to change the fortunes of the team. After Motlakase grabbed the First Division North title and the automatic ticket to the be MOBILE Premier League, Mading said the remaining three games are not enough to guide the club to second spot that would guarantee qualification for the promotion play-offs.

'We recently lost six crucial points which would have helped us qualify for the play-offs but now we just have to start preparing for next season. I have told the officials that they should start preparing for next season because I have picked a few factors that contributed to our problems this season and I do not want to be caught off guard,' Mading told Mmegi Sport.

Apparently Dintwa did not see eye to eye with defender Tervin Kgakge who later transferred to Nico United. The coach was not happy that the club had recruited an assistant for him. He wanted to appoint an assistant of his choice.

Mading said they decided to appoint an assistant when it became apparent that Dintwa was taking too long to identify his own man. Now with the season almost over and no chance of going to the top division, Mading pointed out that he would never trust anyone with the team. That means he will continue as head coach next season.

Because his tourist transportation business seems to take most of his time, the former national goalkeeper said he would rather have a knowledgeable assistant to hold the fort in his absence and not a head coach.

'I have learnt a lesson. When the season started, I set out to win the First Division North and promotion back to Premier League and I thought I had found the right man to do just that. I was wrong, he (Dintwa) is a good coach but our differences stalled everything. I need to do it myself. It is my team and I have dreams about it,' he said.

'I cannot dump my business because it is the one financing the team but again, I love this team and I cannot just leave it in the hands of anybody. I will find a good assistant coach so that whenever I am absent, I will know there is a capable person who can make the team win,' he said.

After this season's disappointment, Mading is determined to ensure that the team does not spend another year in the First Division though he admitted that he had a better chance in this campaign. 'It was easier because there was no team which dropped from the Premier League but if one of the northern teams gets relegated, then it would be more difficult to achieve our goal but we are not going to try next season. We are going for the jugular, and we will leave nothing to chance,' he said.