Rockefvs’ Thokozani Mnguni attributes double loss to inexperience
Thokozani Mnguni, the former Mamelodi Sundowns ‘defender and now head coach of the Rockefvs u19 team, called for his side to be handed a longer rope after they fell to consecutive defeats over the weekend in the Gauteng Development League.
Mnguni’s unit was handed a stinging 1-5 defeat by the in-form Randburg AFC, playing away from home, on Saturday. Then, on Sunday, Highlands Park rubbed some salt into their wounds, scoring a 2-0 victory in Tshwane.
By all accounts, Rockefvs have been more than a decent unit in the first half of the season. However, their inexperience has been exposed in recent weeks.
In an interview with SuperSport Schools Plus, Mnguni gave his insights on the weekend’s defeats, citing minor defensive errors as the main reason behind the disappointing results.
“The game against Randburg really did not go according to plan. We lost 5-1 against them and then went on to lose 0-2 to Highlands Park at home on Sunday.
“We conceded two first-half goals due to defensive errors, but in the second half we played strongly but failed to convert our chances,” Mnguni said about Sunday’s loss.
“With the Randburg game, on Saturday, my boys should have followed the instructions from the management team. They were running off the ball, which just won’t cut it at this level.
“We told the boys not to follow the runner and to instead stick to their normal position off the ball. What then happened is that we were caught off our strategic positions. From there, the opposition exploited spaces.
“However, this is our first season in the big league, so I understand that’s how my boys will learn. These are still young boys at this level. They are learning everything and, as a coach, it is crucial to have patience with them.
“All we need is to drill the message into them that they must just stick to the instructions. There were one too many instances where we also lacked communication, and we were punished,” he added.
Fellow League newbies, Elspark United Academy, also endured a tough loss, conceding a half-dozen goals to the log-leading Mamelodi Sundowns.
Kaizer Chiefs, in a highly anticipated fixture against SuperSport United at the Kaizer Chiefs Village, emerged victorious, powering their way to a convincing 4-1 win to keep their title hopes alive.
The remainder of the matches were all tightly contested. Panorama FC beat School of Excellence 1-0, Jomo Cosmos won 1-0 against East Rand Athletic Club, while RESA handed TS Galaxy a 1-2 defeat in their own backyard.
Kathorus Hyper Academy fell 0-1 at home to Tuks, Panorama FC held on for a 1-0 win over School of Excellence, and Seven’s Academy shared a 2-2 draw with Highlands Park.
Results
Rockefvs 0-2 Highlands Park
Elspark United Academy 0-6 Mamelodi Sundowns
Kathorus Hyper Academy 0-1 Tuks
East Rand Athletic Club 0-1 Jomo Cosmos
Kaizer Chiefs 4-1 SuperSport United
Randburg AFC 5-0 Rockefvs
TS Galaxy 1-2 RESA
Panorama FC 1-0 School of Excellence
Seven’s Academy 2-2 Highlands Park
