Bucks can tame Leopards at home
Mthatha battle is a must-win game, says Lechesa
MTHATHA Bucks coach Duncan Lechesa wants maximum points when they go toe-to-toe in a National First Division encounter against highflying Black Leopards at the Mthatha stadium this afternoon.
Bucks played to a 1-1 draw against the University of Pretoria last weekend. The one point they earned there put them on 19 points on the log-standings. Lechesa said a similar scenario would hopefully not unfold when they host Lidoda Duvha today, as they need to get back to their winning ways in the league. He admitted though theirs was not an easy task.
“It’s going to be a tough game given our history at home. We’ve been playing to a lot of draws and it’s time we convert those draws into wins. We need those three points which are up for grabs today.
“We need to end those draws and win today because the games are running out.
“We don’t want to go into the last three or four games where the situation is still like this. This game is a must-win game for us,” Lechesa said.
Bucks received a shot-in-the arm the past month after influential player Kangwa Chileshe returned from an injury that saw him warming the bench for months on end. The Zambian midfielder will be aiming to fight for his position in the team as Lechesa has added talented players like Sello Jaftha and Siya “Wonderkid” Dubula to his squad.
The former Free State Stars striker said their preparations for the much-anticipated clash went according to plan, with only two injuries in the camp.
“Everyone is still in good condition besides Linda Bhengu and Loyiso Simandla who are both nursing injuries, but Thabiso Mokoena is back after serving his suspension.”
Responding to Lidoda Duvha’s coach Joel Masutha, who earlier this week mentioned he was preparing for a huge battle as he knew that it wasn’t going to be easy leaving Mthatha Stadium with a victory, Lechesa said: “Everyone who’s coming down here knows now that it’s not a walk in the park when they play here, and last week we didn’t expect a draw against AmaTuks.
“Those guys are in a league of their own and they are doing what we are trying to do, which is to do well.
“We need to be careful and we need to push even harder today and take advantage on our home ground.”
With only nine league games left, Lechesa said their situation was looking promising.
“I don’t want to complain about anything right now, because the team is heading where I want it to go. For instance, during the game against AmaTuks we didn’t start well but in the second half we came back strongly. I can see the commitment is there. The players don’t want to lose because we were a goal down and we managed to come back with a goal.”
He said the support at their home ground was humbling, even though things have not been exactly how the supporters might have hoped they would turn out to be.
“They must just keep on doing what they are doing because they are really behind this team and I thank them for their presence at the stadium and their patience with us.”