Coach keeps promise
DRAW AGAINST LEOPARDS SAVES CLUB’S TOP FLIGHT STATUS Down to 10 men, Thobejane’s players see it through.
Kgoloko Thobejane has had a difficult season at Baroka FC, his confidence in his side at the start of the season never really reflecting in results on the field.
In the end, however, it was Thobejane who had the last laugh, on the bench as the head of Baroka as a 1-1 draw at Black Leopards in Thohoyandou on Saturday was enough for them to retain their Absa Premiership status.
Leopards needed to win by two clear goals to stop Baroka from topping the promotion/ relegation play-off mini-league, but never really looked like doing that, falling behind to Victor Letsoala’s first-half goal. Letsoala was sent off after the break for a second bookable offence, and Leopards equalised through a Siphelele Ntshangase penalty, but in the end it was another play-off disappointment for a side that has been out of the top flight since 2013.
“I have said all along we would not go out of this league, and come next season you will see the best of Baroka.” Thobejane said after the game.
Whether this is true or not remains to be seen, however. Thobejane was full of promises for Baroka for much of the 2016/17 campaign, without delivering, and was even shunted from the head coach position in January only to return when Jacob Sakala was sacked in April.
Baroka won just five of their 30 league games all season, and their survival is in part an indictment of a play-off format that gives a team that has done that poorly another chance.
As for Leopards, they must lick their wounds and try again to get out of the National First Division next season, and Lidoda Duvha coach Jean Luscuito indicated that he wants to stay on in Thohoyandou.
“When you are a coach, you like to win all the games ... But I took this team from position 13 to number two. I think that is very good for my first season in South Africa.,” Luscuito told SuperSport.