Sharps decry change of Top 8 format
Boitumelo Khutsafalo | Friday November 16, 2018 12:49
Sharps take on previous winners, Jwaneng Galaxy in the quarterfinals on November 26, 2018.
Despite their plans having been disrupted because of the change of the initial format of the knockout competition, the club spokesperson, Moitshepi Seisa said they would try and compete and not just to add numbers.
He said they had already made plans with regard to their quarterfinal matches against Galaxy, but will have to change since they will now be playing away in the first leg. “In the initial fixtures, we were to play the first leg at home. Our plan was to avoid conceding in the first leg and then try and get an away goal in the second leg,” he said. “But we have since learnt that the format has been changed such that all teams that finished in the top four in the league last season start the quarterfinals on their home grounds.”
The idea, it is said, is prompted by the local organising committee’s plan to align the format with similar competitions taking place in other countries.
The decision will now see defending champions, Township Rollers, Galaxy, Orapa United and Miscellaneous being the hosts in the first leg of the competition. Seisa said although their plans have been affected, they would still try and score away and try and avoid conceding a goal in the return leg. “Our belief is that if we can get through this Galaxy obstacle, anything is possible and we can go all the way.
Sharps have done pretty well since they were promoted to the elite league. They finished seventh last season. They are currently in the third position in the league table this season,” he said.
Seisa said they believe they can do even much better this season. “If you remember well, we started on a lower note last season only to pick up in the middle of the season. This time we started very well and hope to maintain it.”
He said age has played a role in their performance. He said when they gained promotion, most of their players were youngsters. He added that at the beginning, their players were made aware of the club’s financial situation and because most of them are youngsters, they easily understood.
“They want to prove themselves even under difficult financial situations,” he said. He said the club is now on a recruitment drive to try and increase their support base. One of the initiatives was to allow all the University of Botswana students free access into their match against BDF XI. They had also initially planned to host Jwaneng Galaxy at Selebi-Phikwe Stadium for their Top 8 clash.
“We were in talks with SPEDU to take the game there, unfortunately the discussions kicked off late so we will take the game to Lobatse Sports Complex,” he said. He said they would consider such ideas in the future.