HIGHLANDS PARK COACH CONFIDENT OF RETURN TO PSL
AUTOMATIC DROP WAS DUE TO TEAM NOT HAVING HAD A PROPER OFF-SEASON LEADING UP TO THEIR PREMIERSHIP CAMPAIGN, SAYS COACH
LESLIE GROBLER blamed Highlands Park’s failure to avoid the automatic drop in the relegation battle this season, to not having had a proper off-season leading up to their Absa Premiership campaign.
The Lions of the North had to go through the PSL Promotion play-off route to fight for their place in the premiership division after having finished second to last season’s NFD champions Baroka FC.
Grobler, who is Highlands’ interim coach, argued that had his side had enough time to prepare for their 2016/17 campaign, they wouldn’t be in their current situation.
The Tembisa outfit finished bottom of the premiership table, after playing to a 2-2 draw against Mamelodi Sundowns.
“We never had a preseason like other teams had in the PSL,” Grobler said. “And that’s what killed us. We only had 21 days of rest right after we played our last game of the promotion play-offs leading up to the new season. We gave our boys only one week to recover, though you would need a month (for the team to fully recover from what has been a very long campaign).
Really struggled
“The injury of Collins Mbesuma also affected our campaign pretty badly,” Grobler added.
“He was out for six months and the team really struggled without his presence up front. We tried to play him in our last three games but you could still see that he wasn’t agile enough to do the work for us up front.”
Grobler added that he had full confidence that they would bounce straight back into the PSL football should his bosses do everything in their power to keep DEJECTED: Franklin Cale (left) and Brandon Theron of Highlands Park in tears after their Absa Premiership match against Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday. the current group of players.
“If we can keep this team together going into the NFD next season, then I strongly believe that we are going to bounce back into the Absa Premiership by the following season,” Grobler said.
“I’m saying this because I believe we are good enough not to be playing there in the first place anyway. We were playing against a very organised team in our last game of the season.
“Results could have gone (in their favour) had Baroka failed to produce a win in their match against Ajax Cape Town. We have a quality side to fight to come back.
“However, whether they’ll be keen in going down there with us or not, we’ll have to wait and see.
“If the management can help us to keep this group of players together, then it’s going to make our job as the technical staff easier to get this team back into premiership football.”