Fighters reel in shock

CHIPPA LEGODIMO
Correspondent | Wednesday February 11, 2009 00:00

 

I could not believe it because we were in charge of the game throughout the first half and for a struggling team to come from behind like that, it was unacceptable,' Fighters' spokesperson, Naledi Mompati has said.

'I was confident right from the first whistle that we were going to win and when we scored those two early goals, our fans were in a jubilant mood but what struck us I do not know. I really do not know who to blame. It happened so fast that even the players cannot explain it,' she added.

Despite the shock caused by the loss to Gunners, the Brazilians believe they can recover in time for the game against Township Rollers on Valentine's Day. Mompati believes that lack of experience counted against her team. She said the replacement of Boiki 'Screamer' Mothibi left the youngsters exposed. 'Our young boys just found themselves swamped by Gunners and they needed a leader who could cool things down and give them direction. Maybe if we had more experienced players on the field, things could have been different,' she said.

She acknowledged that Gunners deserved to win saying that although she did not expect it, the Peleng side showed character after conceding two early goals. The result did not just shock Fighters. Some Gunners supporters did not believe their ears when they heard the outcome on radio and television. Many were shocked that a club that has developed a habit of letting opponents come from behind to win had turned the tables and scored four goals in 20 minutes.

Mapantsula seemed to have boosted their confidence when they scored a goal just before half-time to reduce the deficit.

Mompati said their defeat to Gunners will not determine their destiny against Rollers on Saturday. He said the loss will make the team more determined to do better. 'I believe the players and the technical team have learnt their lessons after the Gunners' game.

Concentration levels should be improved if we are to avoid the same kind of embarrassment,' she said. After avoiding relegation by a whisker last season, Fighters have been blowing hot and cold this season winning when least expected but fading badly when hopes are high. While some may argue that Letang 'Rasta' Kgengwenyane has failed to turn the tide, Mompati said they still have confidence in the coach.

'We do not believe in changing coaches every time the team is not doing well. The other thing is that you can only say the coach has failed to deliver if you bought him all the players he requested,' she said.

She explained that the only player in the coach's list they failed to get is Flamengo Santos' Bakang Moeng. She said the player is over-priced. 'Rasta (Kgengwenyane) requested management to bring him this boy during last year's transfer window. The price tag was P50,000 and we could not afford that. We tried again during the January transfer window and Santos still maintained the same price and frankly speaking, that was as good as saying he is not for sale because no team in Botswana can pay that amount for a player,' she said.