“We have the right person for the job”

After parting ways with the team’s head coach, Mr Joel “The Prophet” Masutha, last month Black Leopards’ chairman, Mr David Thidiela, is adamant that they now have the right person for the job.

Speaking in a celebratory mood shortly after his team’s 3-1 victory over Amazulu in their Absa Premiership League game at the Thohoyandou Stadium on Saturday, Thidiela said that the appointment of the new team’s head coach, Mr Dylan Kerr, was a giant step in the right direction.

He said that the supporters had been complaining about the team’s performance since the beginning of the season. According to him the supporters had on countless occasions told him to go all out to buy “quality players”. He stated that his response to them was that there was nothing wrong with the current squad saying the players had all the qualities of premiership material.

He appealed to the supporters to be patient with the coach and give him time to impart his coaching philosophy to the players. Although Lidoda Duvha lost their number one keeper, Rotshidzwa Muleka, through injury four minutes into the game, they did not lose their fighting spirit. Muleka was replaced with King Ndlovu.

No goal was scored in the first half, even though the home side were unstoppable. It took Leopards 58 minutes to open their account. Lifa Hlongwane blasted in a rocket, following Pentjie Zulu’s square pass. Although he scored the team’s opening goal, Hlongwane was not accorded the opportunity to be on the field of play until the end of the game. He was replaced with Lesedi Kapinga in the 67^th minute.

Leopards increased the margin in the 74^th minute through Tswarelo Bereng, who beat the keeper with a half volley, following Khuliso Mudau’s square pass. The KwaZulu Natal side pulled one back through a substitute, Bonginkosi Ntuli, moments later.

The Thohoyandou side scored the third via Mwape Musonda in the 84^th minute to ensure that his side register their first victory under the guidance of Kerr.

Leopards’ midfielder, Tswarelo Bereng, who scored the team’s second goal, was nominated Man of the Match.

Date:20 December 2018

By: Frank Mavhungu

Frank is a Human Resources Manager at the Department of Public Works in Limpopo. He is the longest serving correspondent of the Mirror, having joined us at the end of 1990.  He mainly writes sports reports and resides at Tsianda Village. In 2004, Frank won the National Castle League Award, an award for the best reporter in the SAB league in South Africa.

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