Following a lacklustre performance that saw them dropped from top flight football for the umpteenth time, Mogoditshane Fighters’ run of bad luck seem to have followed them to the lower First Division.
Fighters, whose relegation from the premier league last season was characterised by frustrations and accusations between supporters and management, have played to a two and one-all stalemates away to Ghanzi Terrors and Prisons XI respectively.
Fighters’ head coach Enos Mmesi, however, remains positive about the chances of promotion back to the premier league come 2014/2015 season. “It is still too early to evaluate our performance. We will have to wait until mid way through the season”, he insists. Mmesi says registering only two points from their first two games should not be reason enough to press panic buttons. “To play a draw away to a strong team like Prisons XI and driving all the way to Ghanzi, play on a poor sandy pitch and come away with a point is not a bad performance.” Fighters host former Coca Cola ‘giant killers’ Mochudi Buffaloes in Mogoditshane today (Sunday). Mmesi says nothing but a win will be good enough for the Samba Boys and assures they are not going to leave anything to chance. “They (Mochudi Bufalloes) are a strong team and after losing their first game they will be fighting like a wounded animal,” he says.
This being their first home game of the season Mmesi says they cannot afford to drop points. With the exception Bernard Simakwenzi and Kumbulani Maziba the Mogoditshane outfit have retained all their 2012/13 season squad and the coach believes he has got what it takes to return the team back to top flight football. “I have absolutely no doubts about my potential as a coach and as long as I get the right support from the management the sky is the limit. I can guarantee we are going back to the premier league.” He said. In the other camp Mochudi Buffaloes’ head coach Moshe Koitsiwe could not be less optimistic about their chances of coming away with a result.
“Things do not look good for us at the moment,” he says. “We have a lot of injuries in our squad nine of which are regular players.” Koitsiwe says after drawing their first two games he expects Fighters to come out guns blazing. Although he says losing players to injury is not an excuse not to go all out, he admits a draw may just be the best result for his team. The Buffaloes have only a single point after losing their first game and playing to one-all draw against Jwaneng Comets in their second match.
