Revenge march to Polokwane for United
AS CLICHED as it is, Maritzburg United plan to tackle one game at a time and focus on the weekend’s showdown against Kaizer Chiefs only after tonight’s challenge at Polokwane City.
Under grey skies and wet conditions underfoot near their Harry Gwala Stadium training base, the Team of Choice squad buzzed excitedly as they wound up preparations for the resumption of the Absa Premiership.
Training under new coach Roger de Sa lends to the upbeat atmosphere. Players will be keen to impress in the first match back after the long mid-season break, more so with the next game being Chiefs’ visit on Saturday.
While players generally look forward to the high-profile clashes, De Sa made it clear that a player’s performance in the current match determines his selection for the next one.
“The focus is on the next game only, nothing else. If you don’t perform in the next game then you can’t play in the one after that,” De Sa pointed out.
Two points separate Polokwane in fifth from Maritzburg, who occupy eighth spot in the standings. Belgian Luc Eymael’s team earned that ranking partly through a 1-0 win in the Midlands in the first round.
Therefore it’s a revenge mission for those who featured in the first meeting. Rising international winger Deolin Mekoa is among that group. He played in the tie in September when substitute Sipho Jembula’s second-half cracker earned the visitors full points.
“We are looking for three points. This is revenge and we want to go all out and take back the three points that we gave to them. My goal is to work hard in each and every game and do my best to support the strikers,” said Mekoa.
Hard work in every game is what De Sa expects. Consistency of performance, against Polokwane or the Soweto giants, will make the difference between perennially struggling to squeeze into the top eight and being regular finishers in that bracket.
“These are the types of games where you have to get points. Going there is a tough task – they sit in the top six and are a lot more organised than last year,” said De Sa.
The challenge is trickier with captain and playmaker Kurt Lentjies suspended for the next two games. De Sa sees it as an opportunity for another player to stake a claim.
Polokwane are without injured striker Puleng Tlolane, which will be a relief for the travelling defence. But Rodney Ramagalela has six goals and Maritzburg will have to close him down.