No pity party for AmaZulu
Usuthu to do whatever it takes to get back to the top league
DEFLATED AmaZulu and cock-a-hoop Maritzburg United will waste no time and start mapping their futures today, with player and coaching issues on the agendas of both KwaZulu-Natal clubs.
Two days after Maritzburg sent AmaZulu down to the First Division and secured a top-eight finish in the Absa Premiership with a 2-1 win in front of a boisterous crowd at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday, both clubs will quickly do a review of the season past and then begin making plans for the next campaign, they say.
AmaZulu’s deliberations will include a willingness by coach Steve Barker to go down to the unsponsored second tier with the club, but on-loan players Bongi Ntuli and Asive Langwe have to return to Sundowns and Wits respectively, while defender Mbulelo Mabizela’s short-term contract with the “green warriors” ends soon.
Usuthu general manager Peter O’Connor says the club are not going to waste time licking their wounds and will, instead, do whatever it takes to get out of the First Division as soon as possible.
“Relegation is frustrating, but we can’t undo it and now we must make sure we come back into the top league as quickly as possible. We will be mindful to not make rash decisions that could hurt us later,” he said yesterday.
“I am pleased to say there is a strong likelihood of our main sponsors, Spar and Kappa, staying with us despite our relegation. But that is subject to confir- mation in our follow-up talks with the sponsors.
“As far as Steve is concerned, we always looked to have him on a long-term basis. We will talk to the players and technical staff over the next few days.”
After collecting just four points from their first 11 matches of the season, which made relegation possible, AmaZulu finished three points behind Swallows and Chippa United in the bottom three of the 16-team standings on Saturday and got the expensive chop for the fourth time since the Premier Soccer League was launched in 1996.
Manning Rangers won the league in that inaugural season but there has since been little to celebrate in KwaZulu-Natal, aside from Golden Arrows winning the MTN8 knockout title in 2009 under the guidance of current Sundowns assistant coach Manqoba Mngqithi.
AmaZulu’s previous relegations happened in 1999/00, 2001/2 and 2003/4, which marked a real yo-yo patch for the club before the current directors brought some stability.
Maritzburg also had plenty of trouble in the league down the years before they joyfully claimed position No 8 with goals from youthful players Deolin Mekoa and Mohau Mokate against Usuthu at the iconic “MMS” on Saturday.
“We are all obviously happy with our position, but we have to start planning for the new season immediately,” said the chairman and managing director of the Midlands outfit, Farook Kadodia.
He said seven players were set to part company with his “Team of Choice”, including reserve striker Terrance Mandaza and three men loaned from Sundowns, while the club’s decision to exercise an option to extend Steve Komphela’s contract would be finalised in a meeting with the coach soon.
Meanwhile, Swallows will en- counter Jomo Cosmos and Black Leopards in the play-offs which run from May 17 to June 3.
This comes after Cosmos finished second and Leopards third in the First Division yesterday. These two clubs will kick off the play-offs in Limpopo on Sunday.
Fourth place was secured by Thanda Royals, whose striker Ace Bhengu was the league’s top scorer on 22 goals, and fifth place went to All Stars, while champions Golden Arrows collected their trophy after a 2-1 win against Highlands Park at Makhulong Stadium.
Said Arrows coach Shaun Bartlett: “I am very proud of what the players achieved. I also thank all those who supported me during the season. Consistency was the key – we went through the whole of the second round unbeaten.”