Ernst Middendorp Insight
Ernst Middendorp Insight

Posted in News on Sep 13, 2005.

We returned three points richer this weekend from Giyani as we won our first game after almost fourteen days of inactivity. This means a lot to the morale and motivation of the team.

In the opening stanza of the game it took time for certain players to settle down and we gifted Dynamos with an easy chance early on when our defense failed to clear the ball effectively.

Thankfully we handled the situation well and we got out of jail. On the whole the team played well - our debutant David Obua played well and he slotted into the team well and he has answered the questions hovering over the left back position.

Arthur Zwane and Thabo Mooki earned their day’s wages with outstanding displays - Arthur found himself on two occasions in very good positions and he made the most of the space available to him.

Thabo Mooki is improving with every game, and as a veteran of the team having been here for so many years, it is necessary that he keeps up the high standard that he is setting for the season. His cross field pass to Arthur Zwane was straight out of a text book cross seen carried out by Brazilian players over the years.

Up front Serge Djiehoua played the role he was required to and troubled the defense time and again. Given a few more starts, Serge should find his scoring boots soon and be on his way to a good number of contributions for the remainder of the season.

With one game out of the way for the week we look forward to the next two games this week firstly against Golden Arrows and than against Sundowns at the end of the week.

When it comes to the Golden Arrows game, I am confident that we can leave with the three points. I have been analyzing some of their games from up to two seasons ago and have a good idea of how we can win the game. The conditions in Durban will not be on the same blistering end of the thermometer like it was in Giyani; we will be expecting a light breeze.

We have a 99% injury free squad at the moment with our casualty list having dwindled from last week and this is good as the options are open as to the team selection, which also means that we can vary our style and tactics.

At the moment ,we are in a fortunate position as we have all thirty players fighting not just for a place in the starting eleven but the eighteen-man squad that travels to matches. For any player showing the initiative and desire the door to be in the team is always open determination and the willingness to succeed is what is needed.

From Sunday’s performance it is clearly evident that we are now finding our feet and rhythm. The team is playing as a unit and players are beginning to understand each other better. The signs are looking ominous for us and we can only grow from here our start to the season has been a steady one taking into account that we have played three of our first four game away from home. We will talk more about the Golden Arrows game on Wednesday and will discuss Sundowns later in the week.

Keep spreading love and Peace


Ernst Middendorp

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