Baroka hope to continue strong start to season against TTM
Last season's wobble still plays on coach Matsimela ’ s mind
Baroka will be looking to maintain their unbeaten start in the DStv Premiership when they meet Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) in the Limpopo derby at Thohoyandou Stadium on Sunday (3.30pm).
Bakgaga are joint log leaders with Mamelodi Sundowns and Swallows with seven points each after registering two victories and a draw in their opening three matches of the season.
Coach Thoka Matsimela, who was given the job after the club fired Dylan Kerr, said they want to continue where they left off before the Fifa international break.
“It’s not going to be an easy game. We are expecting a very tough match from those guys. TTM need points as they only have two after three games.
They didn’t start well, but that’s their case,” Matsimela told Sowetan yesterday.
“We want to continue where we left off and make sure we collect all three points to make sure thatwe are in a good position. We want to collect [points] as early as we can, and that’s important for the team.”
Last season, Bakgaga also started well, but a string of poor results followed and they ended up fighting relegation.
Matsimela, who has been an assistant coach before, said they learnt from their mistakes and it won’t happen this time.
“It is how we manage the game and the players. I think we learned more from many things. This is our fifth year in the league, you can’t make the same mistake every time.
Some of the things we learned from the mistakes. I don’t see us repeating the same thing,” Matsimela said.
“Now is all about improving where we made mistakes in the previous seasons and make sure the team maintains the position, and we want to see the team being in the top eight this season.”
After the club put their trust in him, the coach believes the experience he gained in the last few years as an assistant would help him.
“Everything has a start. Even those coaches who are coaching now, they started somewhere without experience, and they learned. They have been with people who learned from them and people who made them grow, so I don’t think it will affect me.”