Coach discusses Highland Park’s wavering form
Eleven games into the Gauteng Development League season, the two-time defending champions, Highlands Park, find themselves off the pace, sitting in fifth place in the u19 division, with SuperSport United leading the way.
The side has dropped a surprising number of points in their last five matches, which is the kind of inconsistency that one would not usually associate with the Lions of the North.
However, included in those last five games are a loss to Joburg City and draws against Jomo Cosmos and SuperSport United.
In an interview with SuperSport Schools Plus, coach Sifiso Mnguni discussed his team’s middling form, citing injuries as one of the key reasons behind their inconsistent performances.
“We lost to Joburg City and drew against Cosmos. A draw against Cosmos, we honestly didn’t deserve. I felt we dominated the game. I think 15 minutes into the game we were 2-0 up and conceded sloppy goals,” Mnguni reasoned.
“One of the things we’ve been struggling with has been consistency in the line-up. We’ve been making forced changes as two of our stronger centre backs were also out with injuries.
“Against Cosmos, we were unlucky because when you’re 2-0 up in the opening 15 minutes, then you should win the game. Against Joburg City, as well, because of the struggle of the centre backs, we made defensive errors.
“Also, we created a lot of chances in that game but, all in all, we have certain departments we need to fix and maybe recruit for the second round.
“With all due respect to Joburg City, sometimes the boys tend to be complacent and think that it’s a guaranteed win against them. This league is getting more difficult, especially for us because we are the defending champions. Everyone wants to beat us,” he added.
On the weekend, Highlands Park faced a stiff challenge with an away clash against the table-topping SuperSport United. Mnguni had his centre-backs back, but the problem they faced lay at the other end of the field. They created plenty of opportunities, but struggled to turn those into goals.
“Our biggest boost was that our centre backs came back when we went to SuperSport, but yet again we were unlucky,” Mnguni told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“We quickly discovered that one of the departments that we needed to improve is getting a number nine (a centre forward or striker) because we are creating a lot of chances, but we are not scoring.”
Mnguni’s side bounced back in their fixture against Kaizer Chiefs, beating coach David Mathebula‘s side 1-0 at home to return to winning ways.
“Against Chiefs, I think the boys worked extremely hard as a team and, again, there’s no motivation needed when you’re playing Chiefs,” Mnguni said.
“The boys stuck to the game plan. We hit them on the counter, and the boys played really well considering the points that we dropped and the manner we drew against SuperSport.
“The boys showed good fight and character to be able to bounce back. Hopefully, we keep our players fit and available for the coming fixtures.”
RESULTS
Sunday, 11 May
Seven’s Academy 2-1 East Rand Athletic Club
Saturday, 10 May
Elspark United 0-5 Randburg AFC
SuperSport United 1-0 Kathorus Hyper Academy
Joburg City 1-0 TS Galaxy
School of Excellence 1-4 Remember Elite Sport Academy
Rockefvs FC 1-1 Jomo Cosmos
Tuks 0-4 Mamelodi Sundowns
