Mwaanga calls for patience

BOITUMELO KHUTSAFALO
Staff Writer | Tuesday October 5, 2010 00:00

 

The loss to Mochudi Centre Chiefs has left Motlakase languishing at the bottom of the log standings with only one point from six games. Mwaanga said reduction of foreign players per team from five to three has affected his team.

Premier League teams were in the past allowed to register five foreign players but only allowed to use three per game. Mwaanga said the change came after they had spent several weeks in pre-season training with five foreign players who they had planned to use this season.    

He said they wanted to sign former BDF XI striker, Precious Mpondela and another foreign player who had trained with the team for a couple of weeks but could not register because of the quota. Motlakase currently has three foreigners among them Hillary Madzivanyika. He also attributed their poor run to the absence of six players who are out with injuries.

'Jomo (Bolofete) is working in Mahalapye while the team is based in Palapye and therefore, he is not training as much as he should,' Mwaanga said yesterday. Mwaanga called for patience and said that as a new coach, he is working towards building a solid team. 'What we need now is just one victory and things could return to normal.

We have not been playing too badly,' he added. He pointed out that they have been able to create scoring opportunities but have failed to convert. He said playing all their Premier League games away is taking its toll on the players. The club's stadium, which was set to ease their problem, is still incomplete.

'The players are always on the road and this is disturbing them mentally,' he said.  Meanwhile, Township Rollers and ECCO City Greens continued with their winning start to the season, chalking up their sixth straight victories over the weekend. Rollers should somehow consider themselves lucky to emerge from the Molepolole Sports Complex with three points after they needed a controversial penalty to edge BMC 2-1 on Sunday. ECCO showed their intentions of winning the title they last grabbed in 2007, when they dismissed Police XI 2-1.

Both ECCO and Rollers have collected 18 points from six matches. Extension Gunners continued their impressive start to the season, bagging a fourth win on the trot with Gaborone United (GU) the latest victim at the newly built Lobatse Stadium. Gunners look dangerous on the counter attack and GU will bear testimony.

The Lobatse side is fifth on the log with 12 points.

Gaborone side, Notwane continued to sing the blues as they sank to new lows with a defeat to newcomers, Black Peril. After six games, Notwane have won only one and lost five. Coach Luke Masomere could be a worried man although it is still early in the season.