Aces look for coach with Midas touch

PSL rookies switch Sakala to technical adviser for new season

NEWLY-PROMOTED Mpumalanga Black Aces are on the hunt for a coach who they believe will keep them in the PSL next season, having decided to move current boss Jacob Sakala into a technical adviser role.

This was confirmed to the Dispatch by club owner Mario Morfu, who praised Sakala for getting the side into the top flight, but says they are looking for someone with more PSL experience for their return to the big time.

“Jacob is a good coach; he prepared the team well this season and through the playoffs,” said Morfu.

“But we want someone with more experience at PSL level and have entrusted Jacob with a role that will oversee our academy structures through to the first team.

“We will start looking for a new coach now, but will not hire just anybody. They have to be the right fit for the club, understand the style of football we play and be able to work with the style of our players.”

Morfu confirms that Sakala will stay in charge of the team until the new coach is brought on board.

With just six weeks to go until a meeting with defending champions Kaizer Chiefs on the opening day of the new league campaign, barring any successful legal challenges to the playoffs, Black Aces face a curtailed pre-season and could be under-prepared for the new campaign, something Morfu is conscious of.

“We will probably have a light pre-season with the players we have now as they have been working so hard for 10 months now.

“We will intensify things when we get new players in … it is not ideal, but the best we can do in this situation.”

As for new players, Morfu says they will keep the core of the team that one them promotion and look at add some top-flight experience where they feel it is needed.

“There won’t be wholesale changes, we believe the core of this squad is good enough to compete in the PSL. But we will be bringing in a few new players.”

Morfu believes the club is better set up for survival this time round than it’s been in the past, with more quality on and off the pitch.

“Everything is much more sound, in my opinion. If you look at how prepared we were for these playoffs matches, from the technical team and our conditioning coach Craig Lewis ... we couldn’t have been better prepared, everything was right.”