Moorosi Tsiane
LAST weekend was another fantastic football expedition with three Premier League matches at Setsoto Stadium on Saturday.
Of course, all eyes were on the country’s biggest match featuring the country’s most decorated team, Matlama going against archrivals, Lioli.
The fixture has proved to be one of the biggest clashes in our domestic league given the rich history shared between these two teams.
Matlama have been in great form this season, taking on from their spectacular experience last season where they won the LNIG Top8.
To strengthen their side, Matlama brought in former Lioli assistant coach, Thabile Secker, to head their technical team. Last season, Secker had been coaching A Division side, Manonyane and took over from Mosito Matela who has since assumed the position of the technical director at Matlama.
Before joining Manonyane, Secker left many football fans surprised with his debut season as the head coach for the then newly promoted Premier League side Sky Battalion. That youth studded side was unstoppable and ended their first season into the Premier League sixth on the log.
Unfortunately, Sky Battalion had off the field problems and they were forced to sell their Premier League status to Rovers at the start of last season.
Fast forward to this season, Secker is back in the Premier League and once again his side is enjoying the great run.
Matlama went into yesterday’s match against Bantu seating comfortably at the top of the 14-team league table with 41 points after 17 matches while second is LCS trailing four points behind.
Last time Tse Putsoa won a league title was under the late Ndebele “Tata Mocholone” Taole’s tenure as the head coach in the 2009/10 season and it looks like almost a decade later, they are poised for their 10th league honour.
The appointment of Secker at the start of the season didn’t sit well with some of Matlama supporters who questioned why Matela, the man who ended the eight-season’s trophy drought by winning the Top8 last season.
But the former LCS and Matlama player has surprised many and has lost two and drawn two matches in the 17 matches before yesterday.
One thing that Matlama has this season is that urge to win and one could see it against Lioli last Saturday.
Lioli were not making things easy for them but the Sea-Point outfit kept on pushing until that mistake between the defender Sheetsane Ramoseeka and goalkeeper Liteboho Mokhehle that gave Matlama a win.
It is still too early to give Matlama the title but often, a team which wins against all odds eventually emerges victorious. Also looking at their quality, Matlama are best placed to walk away with this one.
Their squad has been together for a long time and they understand each other immensely. Up to 80 percent of the squad has been together for more than five seasons and have become experienced campaigners who have represented the country either at junior or senior level. Such players as Jane Thabantšo, Mabuti Potloane, Rethabile Mokokonae, John Mohai, Monaheng Ramalefane, Phafa Tšosane, Motebang Sera, Bushy Moletsane just to name the few.
Some might argue that Secker found Matlama as an already oiled machine, however my argument is that to manage the egos of players in a big team like Matlama is not child’s play.
With the eight matches left before the league ends, will Secker take Matlama to their 10th league title and serve his doubters humble pie?
Time will tell.