Venda Football Club (VFC) head coach Clinton Larsen insists his team is still on course for promotion, despite sharing the points with University of Pretoria FC (Amatuks) in a goalless draw during their Motsepe Foundation Championship League match at Thohoyandou Stadium last Saturday.
In an interview after the game, Larsen said that holding a strong team like Amatuks to a goalless draw showed that his defence was capable of absorbing any amount of pressure. He added that now that he had stabilised the team's defence, his next focus was improving the strikers' finishing. He stressed that his team would be unstoppable once the strikers started performing as expected, adding that it was only a matter of time before Maunavhathu became a force to be reckoned with.
When asked how the absence of midfielders Reagan Lubesha and Sibusiso Sibeko was affecting his game plans, Larsen acknowledged that the duo were good players but said other squad members were equally capable. Sibeko and Lubesha watched last Saturday's game from the grandstand after being suspended, following their red cards in the match against Midlands Wanderers at Thohoyandou Stadium on 25 October. Larsen said their continued absence would give other players a chance to prove their worth, with Tatenda Tavengwa and Ciniso Mazibuko expected to make an impact in midfield.
Looking ahead, Larsen expressed optimism ahead of VFC's upcoming Motsepe Foundation Championship match against Highbury at the Nelson Mandela University Stadium in Port Elizabeth on Friday. He warned that failure to beat Highbury could jeopardise the team's promotion hopes.
Amatuks head coach Kwanele Kopo said he was satisfied with his team's overall performance, but admitted the result was disappointing. Maunavhathu remain in the bottom half of the league standings despite earning a point from the draw. Amatuks are in eighth place with 13 points, two more than VFC, who are currently 12th with 11 points. Highbury, by contrast, have lost only two of their 10 matches this season and sit third on the log with 18 points, two behind pace-setters Milford FC.