Bucks back in groove with victory over Stars

Defensive strategy in second half foils Cape Town side

AFTER two consecutive losses, Mthatha Bucks finally returned to their winning ways when they laboured to a hard-fought 2-1 win against Cape Town All Stars in an entertaining NFD match at the Mthatha Stadium on Saturday.

The win brought to a halt a slump which saw Amathol’amnyama losing the two matches. First, they succumbed 1-0 to Stellenbosch FC, and two weeks ago they were hammered 3-1 by Royal Eagles at the Harry Gwala Stadium. This left them languishing in seventh spot on the log, with the win against Stars expected to shoot them to third place.

The two losses seemed to have had a psychological impact on the local lads, who started the game cautiously but grew into the match after about the first 10 minutes.

While their opponents were hoping to catch the home team napping, Bucks’ rearguard easily thwarted them. The Eastern Cape lads’ superior technical abilities started to shine as they played some intricate passes, although they also failed to trouble the visitors.

But it came as no surprise when Bucks midfielder Sakhele Nhlabathi broke the deadlock with about 25 minutes played, when he rifled home from just inside 18 yards after Cape Town All Stars failed to clear a sweeping cross from the left. The ball fell on the feet of Nhlabathi, who made no mistake, sending hundreds of Bucks fans into a frenzy.

However, as is the case with most South African teams, who just seem to take their foot off the gas, especially after scoring a goal, Bucks allowed the visiting side to draw level a few minutes later, when a Bucks player misplaced a pass, which was quickly stolen on the left side by a Stars player, who played a quick cross into the box.

Striker Nyembezi Setelele made no mistake as he poked the ball into the net. But the home side’s lead was restored about 10 minutes before half time, when another Bucks midfielder, Sifiso Ntjolo, hit an unstoppable shot, which sailed into the net after being teed up outside the box.

While the home side enjoyed the lion’s share of ball possession, the second half was a different story as they seemed to get everyone behind the ball while looking to hit only the counter. This allowed the visitors to take the initiative but in the end, Bucks took all the three points to go to 12 points. This means they have now won three games and lost two against three draws.

Bucks assistant coach Sibusiso Mapombo attributed the defensive showing in the second half to what he described as a confidence crisis owing to the two previous losses.

“It was tough because of late we score and teams come back and score against us. We scored and they [Cape Town All Stars] came back immediately. So we said to the players, if we cannot score a third goal, they must not score a second goal.”

The former captain also praised the supporters for backing the team, saying their loud voices had spurred the players on. “You could see that our players were not their normal selves, but the crowd works for us. They are pushing us.”

He said one of their strongest points had always been their ability to create scoring chances but at the weekend they created fewer than normal. But the fear of conceding after scoring had forced the coaching staff to change the strategy in the second half.

“We worked very much on the way we defend. In the second half we were more defensive because we have been opening up and conceding in other games, which kills our confidence. We told the guys that if we convert two chances out of five let’s just make sure that they don’t score again.”

Another change had been in how they lined up on the field as they previously played with two strikers. But Mapombo said they ended up being overrun in midfield, hence they had to shore it up.

“[In the second half] everyone was just fighting for the ball. They played like soldiers and the positive is that we played more as a team.”

He said the win would go a long way towards boosting the players’ morale.