NRB show plenty of strength
THERE was plenty of praise for Richards Bay FC’s defenders when the squad assembled for practice after their superb 1-0 away win over Jomo Cosmos on Sunday.
Three points on the road in the GladAfrica Championship was the perfect start, with no goal conceded, and Sakhile Hlongwa having slotted a late penalty.
While Ketha Shabalala was named man of the match by head coach Pitso Dladla, he emphasised that it was the combined discipline, commitment and fighting spirit of the entire defensive unit that had totally snuffed out any Ezinkosi threats.
The praise was music to the ears of defensive coach Ronnie Gabriel, who with fitness coach Nkosinathi Mthembu, has been paying special attention to the foundation of the team in terms of conditioning and stamina.
‘Tired players lose concentration and make mistakes, and we didn’t skip a beat’ said Gabriel.
While unstinting in his appreciation for the solid effort, Dladla feels there is a lot more still to come, including raising the overall fitness levels and creating more attacking opportunities.
The NRB boys will enter the uMhlathuze Stadium on Saturday afternoon with a confident but cautious belief they will get another three points from their Free State Stars clash.
Off-the-field issues that might have accounted for some of last season’s poor home results have also been brought out into the open by management, and the players will be at their brightest and best both physically and mentally.
‘We don’t need to win games by massive margins. A single goal scored and nothing conceded is enough.
‘Any additional goals will be a bonus,’ said Dladla, who believes he has a number of players capable of bulging the net, including the big boys at the back who come up for the set pieces.
*Open your PixzAR app and scan the framed image to watch an interview with head coach Pitso Dladla