Royals no stress for King Jay
JOMO SONO isn’t in a rush to top the NFD table.
The Jomo Cosmos owner and coach understands that a league race isn’t a sprint but a marathon.
That’s why he isn’t worried by leaders Thanda Royal Zulu who’ve been on a scoring spree so far in the season. ono has seen this type of performance from Thanda before.
The King (as Jomo is affectionately known) , whose side are second on the log with 11 points from six league games, stressed that it was important for his team not to worry themselves about taking the lead early on in this campaign.
Doing so, Sono warned, might see them losing focus in their upcoming matches.
Cosmos will host struggling Cape Town All Stars, who are 15th on the log with five points from six matches, this Sunday at Olen Park Stadium (kick-off 3.30pm).
“We are not worried about them (Thanda),” Sono said. “I’ve seen this type of performance from them before. Every season is the same.
“They start off pretty well and come mid-season, they lose momentum.
“And so, I’ve decided that I’m not going to lose any sleep over them.
“Don’t get me wrong, they’ve been impressive in their last few matches.
“I take nothing away from them. But you should remember that this is not a sprint, but a marathon. It’s too early for panic buttons.”
The South African football legend further fondly calledd Bra Jay by many, added that his side should not think that Stars are going to be an easy side to beat.
In fact, the former Bafana Bafana coach said that the Cape Town outfit’s recent 1-0 win over Mthatha Bucks; will serve as an impetus for them to push for their second successive victory in this one.
“We have a slight advantage (against them),” Sono said. “We’ve got experienced players who know what is expected of them playing in the NFD. But, we’ll have to take it one game at a time.
“We are not going to get carried away just because we handed AmaZulu a 4-1 drubbing leading up to this one. It doesn’t work like that. We should remember that it was Milano (United) who handed us our first and only defeat (10) so far in the season. And so, the plan is to treat every match we participate in with the respect it deserves. That’s how it should be, always. We are not going to take them lightly.”
(All weekend fixtures will kick-off at 3.30pm) Tomorrow: Santos v Thanda Royal Zulu; Black Leopards v FC Cape Town; Royal Eagles v Magesi FC; Mthatha Bucks v Mbombela United Sunday: University of Pretoria v Witbank Spurs; Jomo Cosmos v Cape Town All Stars; AmaZulu v Stellenbosch FC; Milano United v Real Kings