Moorosi Tsiane
Mphatlalatsane suffered a crushing defeat last weekend, going down 4-0 to rejuvenated Bantu at Maputsoe DIFA Ground on a forgettable afternoon for the struggling outfit.
Naleli, as Mphatlalatsane are popularly known, conceded nine goals in two successive matches following their 5-2 loss against Liphakoe a fortnight ago.
It is normal to lose in a game of football, but there is certainly no team that would want to suffer such a humbling defeat at home.
The St. Monica’s outfit regained promotion to topflight football at the start of the 2013/14 season and have managed to survive under former Likuena captain Tšepo Hlojeng.
On their return to the Premier League, Mphatlalatsane finished the season 10th on the log while Melele, who went up to the elite league alongside them, could not survive and received the chop at the end of the campaign.
Last season, Mphatlalatsane escaped relegation with the last game of the campaign after beating Likila United 2-1. Nyenye Rovers were not so lucky and were relegated after losing 2-1 to LMPS. They joined Qoaling Highlanders on the journey down to the first division.
Now 15 matches into the season, Mphatlalatsane are second from bottom on the 14-team Vodacom Premier League table, with a mere two wins and four draws, and also nine losses.
It was clear last season that Mphatlalatsane would find the going tough this term, and the team, to their credit, did something about it. Mphatlalatsane elevated Hlojeng from coach to club president, while former Qoaling Highlanders coach, Teboho Kokome, succeeded him.
The team also boosted their side with the likes of Tsotleho Phokoane and Moesa Mofelehetsi from Likhopo. Monaheng Rasiile also joined the team from the relegated Qoaling Highlanders.
Well, the trio was good acquisition for Naleli, with both Phokoane and Mofelehetsi having represented the country at junior level. On the other hand, Rasiile was a pillar of strength at Highlanders and played a pivotal role in the team’s promotion to the premier league in 2011/12.
But these changes appear not to have brought the desired change and I, for one, believe Hlojeng was better off as the team’s coach and not the president.
Here we are talking about the man who helped this team re-gain promotion into the premier league on a very limited budget. And under Hlojeng’s watch, the team survived relegation twice and would frustrate big guns such as Bantu and Lioli in the process, especially when playing at home.
It is a different case this time around, as Mphatlalatsane have become a very ordinary team none of their fellow premiership sides are afraid to face anymore.
Many will argue that a league campaign is a marathon and 11 matches are enough for a team to avoid relegation especially when there is only a two-point difference between them, Likila and newcomers Liphakoe who are 12th and 11th, respectively.
Yet the truth is time is slowly ticking away and if Mphatlalatsane do not arrest the rot as a matter of urgency, they might find themselves going down to the A Division come the end of the season.
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