SIMBA Bhora coach Tonderai Ndiraya believes their Saturday defeat to Herentals was a wake-up call for his team and may have given the log leaders the jolt that was needed as they chase their maiden Premier League title.
The Shamva-based team was stunned by the Students to reduce the gap between them and second-placed FC Platinum to six points, with four matches remaining.
Before the weekend defeat, Ndiraya’s men had gone on a 12-match unbeaten run in the league, a streak which helped them open a nine-point lead at the top of the log standings.
Simba Bhora were far from their best against Herentals, who bagged maximum points through a Zibusiso Ruguchu spectacular free kick deep into stoppage time.
Following the tepid display, most Simba Bhora supporters had their heads in their hands, all sunken by the unthinkable possibility that their side might just bottle it up.
However, Ndiraya said the weekend defeat was just a “minor setback” and expects his players to respond when they host Caps United in their next league game at their Wadzanayi fortress.
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“I have said it repeatedly that the race is not over yet. We have 12 points to play for. We need to pick ourselves up quickly,” he said.
“We still have a very good cushion, but that can be maintained if we pick ourselves up and compete very well in the next match so that we get back to winning ways. We have to show that we can do much better and cross the finishing line.”
Added Ndiraya: “We lost after a 12-match unbeaten run, so we are not happy, but we mustn’t also forget what these boys have done in the past 12 games. We knew that one day, we would lose and that day came. We didn’t play well, it was a poor performance by our standards. We need to improve going into the next game.”
Asked what could have been the reason for his team’s disjointed performance against Herentals, the Simba Bhora gaffer responded: “So many reasons, probably loss of form due to, perhaps, the international break, but I think psychologically we were a bit complacent because of the success that we have had in the past.
“We were very casual. We didn’t put in the energy that we normally put and in the end, we lost the game. I will attribute the defeat to loss of form individually and about 90% of the squad.”
He is now banking on experienced senior players to drag the team over the line.
“It’s an unfamiliar territory that we are in as a team. The good thing is we have got big name players and experienced players within the team,” Ndiraya said.
“We expect those who have won the league before, the likes of Walter Musona, Blessing Moyo, Perfect Chikwende and Partson Jaure who have travelled this terrain before to help the other young players to recover from this setback.
“We have done ourselves a lot of good by creating that huge buffer at the top. And with the experience that we have, it’s most definite that we will bounce back to winning ways. We are confident of getting over the line. Six points is a good buffer. We will focus on our next home match and make sure that we win that one so that we can ease the pressure that is mounting on us.”
Midfielder Mthokozisi Msebe again missed the weekend match as he is yet to fully recover from an injury that also sidelined him from the game against Chicken Inn.
But unlike in the game against the GameCocks, Msebe’s creativity was greatly missed in the Simba Bhora engine room.
The good news is that the former Bulawayo City star returned to training this week and is expected to be back in the team’s Chibuku Super Cup semi-final clash against Ngezi Platinum Stars on Saturday.
“Clearly, there was no creativity . . . our midfield was a bit flat,” Ndiraya bemoaned.
“We need his services. It’s not good for a team to rely on one player. Of course, he is an important player, but we expect those available to do the job in his absence.”