Lehlohonolo Motshali of Magesi FC celebrates scoring against Cape Town City. Photo: BackpagePix
The reality of it is, is that Magesi FC are still the worst team in the Betway Premiership, their move off the bottom of the table following their 2-0 victory over Cape Town City notwithstanding.
The elite league rookies climbed above Royal AM to 15th place with 11 points – three more than the KwaZulu-Natal club whose matches have been suspended as they battle with the taxman. Magesi have played five matches more than Royal and, though games in hand do not equate to points, a three-point gap in such a situation is not something to be enthused about.
Owen da Gama, however, was not about to let this reality dampen his spirits following his maiden win since he took charge of Dikwena (Crocodiles) after Clinton Larsen’s abrupt departure from the team he led to the Carling Knockout title.
“I’m very proud of the boys,” he said, after the match at Seshego Stadium. “This win takes us off the foot of the table.
“Even though Royal AM are not playing, it takes us off the foot of the table and we just want to get above the two teams above. We will be very happy if we can do that. We are going to be working very hard. And this was the official opening of the stadium, and it is nice for Seshego Stadium to get its victory.”
Da Gama knows from experience that it takes such a result to initiate a turn of fortunes.
“I’ve been in this position before. (Orlando) Pirates and Bloemfontein Celtic were bottom of the log when I joined them. So, it is hard to turn the corner, but once you do, the players play with confidence.
“You saw it after the first goal; the players became stronger. So, it is going to be better moving forward. We had to break that ice, we had to get the monkey off our back, and I think it can only augur well for our future.”
Da Gama felt the addition of experienced players into the squad is what did the trick against a City side that just cannot seem to win on the road.
“You know it’s been tough coming in. There’s a reason the team was bottom of the log, and we needed a little bit of experience in the team. You saw (Boikanyo) Komane’s performance, Mtshali’s performance, (Thabang) Sibanyini; those are players who came in with a different impetus.
“They have come in and added some much-needed experience into the team. And once you get that formula right, it can only get better.”
It looked much better on Saturday as Mncedi Vandala opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 34th minute before Lehlohonolo Mtshali sealed the three points with a sweet shot from outside the box in the 73rd minute.
Next up for Magesi is the local derby against Polokwane City, who were beaten 2-0 by Richards Bay Saturday night. That match is next week Tuesday, giving Da Gama ample time to prepare.
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