After losing out on promotion to the South African Premier League on the last day of last season with his club Bay United, decorated Motswana coach David Bright finds himself fighting for survival to avoid the drop from the First Division. His side finds themselves placed 13th on the 16-team league and chances are that they might get demoted if they do not pick up enough points in the remaining five games.
Since moving their base from Port Elizabeth to Polokwane, things have not been rosy for Bay United. Umlilo lost some of the key players like Siyabonga Nomtshinga and Ace Bhengu when they relocated to Limpopo Province which meant that Bright had to rebuild the team again. When results were not forthcoming, Bright accused the owner of the team of interfering with technical matters. Now with the no-nonsense gaffer in full charge of the team, he knows that failure to sustain their status in the First Division might see him losing employment.
Ahead of their must-win game against neighbours Dynamos at University of Limpopo this afternoon, Bright has no doubt that they will collect maximum points. Dynamos are also in a precarious position which makes the clash more interesting.
“Football goes with luck because we’ve been playing beautiful football but results have eluded us. It’s unfortunate we’ve not been able to convert the chances we’re creating but I’m confident that we’ll win on Sunday (today),” he said.
Bright pointed out that their failure to collect points in the first round has put them under pressure since the league is coming to an end. The outspoken gaffer said that their campaign is even made difficult by the referees who at times decide the outcome of some games.
“In South Africa, everything is possible. Referees can be bribed, especially at this stage. But my main focus is in helping the team to survive the chop which I believe we’re going to achieve. The thing is that we could not be in this predicament if we could have kept most of the players from last season,” he said.
Bright is unsure whether he will be with Bay United next season but if he has his way, he wants to stay put because he thinks he has built a strong squad for next season. He added that the management has not told him anything about the future. According to Bright some of the players’ contracts are running out but the boss has not started negotiations with them.
“Maybe the boss is still waiting to see if we’re going to avoid the drop hence he has not started contract negotiations,” he added.
