Magesi head coach Owen Da Gama has urged his players to be deciders of their own destinies amidst a relegation battle.
Dikwena Tsa Meetse were on the wrong end of thumping against AmaZulu on Saturday in Durban, one that dented their survival aspirations.
The Polokwane-based side touched down in the kingdom of the Zulu with huge expectations having back-to-back games for the first time this season. Magesi beat Cape Town City before winning the Limpopo Derby against a resolute Polokwane City outfit in midweek.
AmaZulu returned to winning ways with a 3-0 thumping of Magesi FC at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday.#sports #soccer #AmaZuluFC #MagesiFC #PSL #BetwayPremiership #Nedbank_Cup
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However, that run of form was prematurely halted as a rampant Usuthu outclassed Da Gama’s man, something he admitted himself after the match.
The club remained in 15th spot on the Betway Premiership standings with only the crisis-riddled Royal AM the worse team than them. However, their two recent wins have pulled them close to the likes of Marumo Gallants and Richards Bay, who now have just a three-point buffer to Magesi.
The Carling Knockout Cup champions have struggled in their first-ever season in the top flight with a huge contingent of their group playing elite football for the first time in their careers.
Da Gama, a man who has seen many a relegation battle, at the helm, has demanded that his players show their mettle to have any chance to avoid the drop.
“We will need to fast track this process and sit on the players because it has to come from the players because it's easy to teach them new things but to get rid of bad habits? That's where the challenge comes," he told the media after the match.
“If you look at it, the league is very tight, you get three wins and you move four or five spaces up the log and the fact that it's still a bit close gives us hope that with two or three good performances we can turn the corner and we can get out of this position.”
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“ Ninety-percent of this squad is playing in the PSL for the first time so it's not easy because this is a really high level of football but we have hope.”
Bottom placed Thwihli Thwahla are currently unable to play as their matches were suspended by PSL “until further notice” due to the club’s inability to guarantee its financial solvency and meet its future commitments for the 2024/25 PSL season.
However, Da Gama has dismissed any thoughts of capitalising on Royal AM’s potential expulsion and reiterated that his team’s focus is on improving its own position in the Betway Premiership table.
“The safest way is to not even think about them, you think that you are there and if you don't move two or three spaces up, you're going to be relegated so we're not even thinking about Royal AM because there is a very big uncertainty on what’s gonna happen,” he said.