Middendorp hopes to inspire revival
MARITZBURG United boss Ernst Middendorp will be hoping that his side’s 1-1 draw with Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday night can give them a platform to move further up the Premiership standings.
The Team of Choice headed into the game on the back of five successive league defeats and would have certainly been the underdogs.
They showed composure against their more decorated opponents and certainly did not play like a team which is rooted to the bottom of the standings.
“We showed them a bit too much respect in the beginning. We were more brave in the second half,” said Middendorp, who recently began his fourth spell in charge of the KwaZulu-Natal club.
“The performance in the game against SuperSport (United) was good and we continued to build on that.
“Everybody is prepared and I’m sure that we will come out of this miserable position.”
An encouraging sign for Middendorp’s charges is that they did not throw in the towel once Themba Zwane put Sundowns head in the 31st minute.
Instead, they continued to attack the defending league champions and their courage paid off in the 60th minute as Man of the Match Kwanda Mngonyama headed home a Dan Morgan corner.
Despite the positive elements, Middendorp highlighted that there are still things which his team needs to improve upon.
He was not happy with the way that they conceded.
“We were a bit too casual and took things to easy. It was possible to track Zwane earlier and to be more aggressive in the one-on-one situation.
“We have to be better in terms of defending. We are sometimes uncertain when we are running around on the field but it’s a process and there is still a long way to go,” he added.
Maritzburg will next be in action away to Swallows FC tonight.
Newly-promoted Swallows have been a surprise package in the league so far this season. They currently sit second on the standings and trail Sundowns by just two points.
They can potentially move to the summit of the standings if they beat Maritzburg and Downs lose against TS Galaxy on the same evening.